DIRECTV Expands Operations with $1 Million Installation of Avid MediaStream

Company increases standard-definition capabilities and builds foundation for enhancing high-definition services

Tewksbury, Mass. – September 19, 2006 – Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that DIRECTV, Inc., the leading satellite television service provider in the U.S., has installed approximately $1 million of Avid® MediaStream™ systems purchased in March 2006. The investment – which will enable DIRECTV to update and expand its standard-definition capabilities and build a foundation for future high-definition services – includes four MediaStream servers with a total of 64 decoder channels and more than 25 terabytes (TB) of dedicated RAID storage. The installation was completed in late August.

“MediaStream has been at the core of DIRECTV’s playout operations for years and we knew we could count on its reliability and efficiency as we planned to expand our broadcast operations,” said Donald L. Jones, vice president and general manager, Broadcast Operations, DIRECTV, Inc. “The HD enhancements that Avid has made to the system will also serve us well as we continue to expand our HD programming.”

David Schleifer, vice president of Avid Broadcast and Workgroups, said, “For years, MediaStream has served as the playout backbone for hundreds of broadcasters, enabling them to deliver a greater number of error-free transmissions. DIRECTV’s investment in MediaStream is a testament to the stability of the system, but equally important, it also provides an economical path for delivering HD content over satellite as demand continues to grow. We’re pleased that DIRECTV continues to rely on MediaStream as the nucleus of its playout infrastructure, and we’re looking forward to helping this leading service provider make the leap to HD when the time is right.”

DIRECTV, Inc. (NYSE: DTV) is the nation’s leading satellite television service provider with more than 15.5 million customers. For more information about Avid MediaStream, please visit: www.avid.com.

About Avid Technology, Inc.

Avid Technology, Inc. is the world leader in digital nonlinear media creation, management, and distribution solutions, enabling film, video, audio, animation, games, and broadcast professionals to work more efficiently, productively, and creatively. For more information about the company’s Oscar®, Grammy®, and Emmy® award-winning products and services, please visit: www.avid.com.

© 2006 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, Digidesign, MediaStream, Pro Tools, and Film Composer are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Avid received an Oscar statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. Digidesign, Avid’s audio division, received an Oscar statuette representing the 2003 Scientific and Technical Award for the design, development and implementation of its Pro Tools® digital audio workstation. Oscar is a trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. Grammy is a trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contact Information

Carter Holland

Director, Corporate Communications

Avid Technology, Inc.

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