DirecTV seems confident it will announce a renewal of the NFL Sunday Ticket package of football games in 2014, a year when overall programming costs are coming in lower than expected, said an analyst who heard CEO Mike White speak at an investor conference Friday. Both sides had no immediate comment. Lower-than-expected programming costs are primarily due to the DBS provider not carrying some sports networks like that of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the timing of contracts, wrote Wells Fargo’s Marci Ryvicker in an email to investors. But DirecTV programming costs will grow by a double-digit percentage in 2015, Ryvicker said. Renewing the Sunday Ticket deal is “important” to completing AT&T’s plan to buy DirecTV, she said. Under their agreement, AT&T can walk away from the deal if DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package isn’t renewed “substantially on the terms discussed between the parties,” AT&T has said in SEC filings (CD May 20 p1). DirecTV will be starting an Hispanic package this year, Ryvicker also said. DirecTV expects AT&T to buy it in late Q1 or early Q2, she said. The FCC Media Bureau last week asked the companies for information on the deal, which is worth about $67 billion (CD Sept 11 p21).

Gogo entered a partnership with T-Mobile to deliver free in-flight texting and voicemail to their customers on all Gogo-equipped U.S. airline aircraft. T-Mobile customers can use the new service on more than 2,000 commercial U.S. airlines beginning Sept. 17, Gogo said Thursday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1CWKEQj). To access the free messaging and voicemail services, T-Mobile customers “will need to have their Wi-Fi calling-enabled phone in airplane mode and connected to Gogo Wi-Fi,” it said. A list of compatible smartphones is at www.t-mobile.com/gogo, it said.

Hughes Network Systems will make its latest portable broadband global area network (BGAN) terminal available in November. The Hughes 9211-HDR (high data rate) is designed to operate with Inmarsat’s BGAN HDR service, Hughes said Tuesday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1trZ3xj). It has features like a built-in RJ11, multi-user Wi-Fi access and advanced automatic context activation, it said.

Arianespace will launch the Hylas 4 satellite and the Koreasat 7 satellite. Avanti’s Hylas 4 is scheduled to launch in 2017, and KTsat’s Koreasat 7 in 2016, Arianespace said Monday in news releases (http://bit.ly/1lR09UP; http://bit.ly/WypW81). Hylas 4 will provide direct TV broadcast and data transmission services to Africa, Latin America and Europe, it said. Koreasat 7’s coverage zone will include Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and India, it said.

Space Systems Loral will provide a communications satellite for Bulgaria Sat. The satellite will provide direct-to-home TV service in the Balkan region, SSL said Monday in a news release (http://bit.ly/YqRFt0). The BulgariaSat-1 will have two Ku-band fixed satellite service transponders and 30 Ku-band broadcasting satellite service transponders for FSS and advanced TV services like HDTV, SSL said.

Dish Network added an ESPN Fantasy Football app that delivers fantasy stats directly to customers’ TV screens. It lets customers follow their fantasy players’ performances and other features “all while watching live or recorded TV,” Dish said Friday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1CyRTxw). The L-shaped layout automatically resizes the viewing screen to display fantasy league stats without obstructing the live game, it said. The app became available on the Hopper Whole Home HD DVR beginning NFL opening weekend.

Globalstar unveiled Globalstar 9600, a satellite data hot spot that lets users connect smartphones and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices when off the grid. Customers can use an app to pair their existing satellite phones and smartphones to send and receive email over Globalstar’s satellite network, the company said Thursday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1lCHBXY). The hot spot is ideal for remote workforces, and marine customers “will also benefit from the ease of use and the ability to affordably use data from beyond cellular,” it said. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $149.99, it said.

The Office of Management and Budget approved the comprehensive changes adopted for FCC rules on licensing and operation of satellites and earth stations. The changes are approved for a three-year period, the FCC said Wednesday in a Federal Register notice (http://1.usa.gov/1vOcTia). The changes pertain to the Part 25 rules, which the FCC streamlined in an order last year (CD Aug 12/13 p1).

The O3b Networks constellation is fully operational, the company said. The company can launch services on a global basis, O3b said in a news release (http://bit.ly/Y9vBmu). In-orbit testing of its latest satellites has been completed and the satellites have been commissioned, it said.

The European Commission requested full details from Arianespace and the European Space Agency about two satellites that were launched into the wrong orbit. A Soyuz launch vehicle launched the two satellites as part of the Galileo constellation Friday (CD Aug 20 p13). The EC also requested a schedule and plan of action to rectify the problem, it said Monday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1p876RL). The commission said it’s participating in the inquiry board to identify the causes of the problem, “which is expected to present preliminary results in the first half of September.” The inquiry board will start its work Thursday, and submit initial conclusions as early as Sept. 8, Arianespace said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1rvesAE). An anomaly “is thought to have occurred during the flight phase involving the Fregat upper stage, causing the satellites to be injected into a noncompliant orbit,” Arianespace said.