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KVH Industries, DIRECTV and Professional Tailgaters Measure 'Tailgating- friendliness' of 31 NFL Cities plus Los Angeles

MIDDLETOWN, R.I., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Baltimore, a city esteemed for its crab houses, Inner Harbor, and home of one of the NFL's most rugged defenses, now has another claim to fame: it's the best football tailgating city in the United States. Runners-up were Denver, Houston, San Diego and Cincinnati.

After analyzing a host of criteria, including stadium parking lots, overall tailgating environment, tailgating-fan enthusiasm and the sales of tailgating accessories like in-car live TV systems and mobile programming, an alliance of tailgating experts has released for the first time the America's Best Football Tailgating Cities Index, a ranking of the "tailgating- friendliness" of the 31 U.S. cities with an NFL team plus NFL-hopeful Los Angeles.

The Index is a joint effort of KVH Industries, the leading manufacturer of live mobile satellite TV systems for cars, RVs and boats; DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading satellite TV service provider; and a group of tailgating experts who have personally visited and ranked every NFL stadium, including Joe Cahn, a nationally recognized authority on tailgating, and the creators of the "Ultimate Sports Road Trip."

Rounding out the top 10 were Miami (sixth), Tampa, Fla. (seventh), Kansas City, Mo. (eighth), Buffalo, N.Y. (ninth), and Philadelphia and Phoenix (tied for tenth). The complete 32-city ranking follows and is available at: www.hightechtailgating.com.

"We've found tailgating to be one of the most popular applications of our TracVision(R) in-car satellite TV systems, which allow fans to watch DIRECTV(R) sports and other programming live in their boats, planes, and passenger vehicles," explained Jim Dodez, vice president of marketing and strategic development at KVH Industries. "As part of our ongoing marketing research, we developed a ranking of the best tailgating cities and decided to share it with the public. Certainly, the die-hard tailgating fans who go out of their way to follow their team deserve a little recognition."

The Index ranks the "tailgating-friendliness" of the 31 U.S. cities with an NFL franchise, and Los Angeles. Cities were ranked on the basis of the overall tailgating environment in each city, as measured by an evaluation of stadium parking lot sizes, fees, accessibility, hours of operation and special facilities and programs for tailgaters; the sale of DIRECTV(R) NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM) packages and TracVision mobile satellite TV systems for cars and RVs by KVH Industries in 2006-2007; and tailgating impressions accumulated through personal visits to NFL and college football stadiums by Joe Cahn of www.tailgating.com, the self-proclaimed "Commissioner of Tailgating," and Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell of "The Ultimate Sports Road Trip" (www.thesportsroadtrip.com).

Baltimore's top ranking is attributed to its high scores in all four categories while Tampa, Miami and Buffalo benefited from high tailgating expert ratings, and superior stadium or parking facilities boosted Denver, Houston and Cincinnati. Ongoing construction of the Meadowlands Xanadu and Patriots Place projects limited the scores of New York and Boston, respectively, while parking or tailgating restrictions in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, and Seattle similarly affected their tailgating scores. In Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Rose Bowl were used for evaluation.

"As the recognized leader in sports programming - airing an average of more than 3,000 sporting events every year - DIRECTV has its finger on the pulse of sports fans," said Daren Benzi, vice president of sales development and strategy for DIRECTV, Inc. "When you combine this commitment to sports programming with new mobile technology that brings live game action right into the car's back seat and rear tailgate, the result is the perfect stadium TV experience for tailgating fans."

Joe Cahn, a professional tailgater who has spent the past 11 years visiting NFL and college football stadiums to assemble a comprehensive library of tailgating information for sports fans, was a natural choice to help KVH Industries and DIRECTV identify the best tailgating cities in the country. New York residents Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell likewise have spent more than nine years documenting their visits to every NFL and most college stadiums for their popular sports fan blog site.

I've used a KVH TracVision antenna on my motorcoach for years and love it, so when they approached me about using my research to help them identify the best tailgating cities, I was glad to help," explained Cahn. "As some of the most devoted and passionate fans in sports, the army of tailgaters that assemble each weekend contribute significantly to the unique personality and character of each city."

About America's Best Football Tailgating Cities Index

Cities were ranked according to various tailgating and tailgating- enthusiast criteria accumulated through personal visits to NFL and college football stadiums by Joe Cahn of www.tailgating.com and Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell of "Ultimate Sports Road Trip" (www.thesportsroadtrip.com); a comprehensive evaluation of stadium parking lot sizes, fees, accessibility, hours of operation and tailgating-related programs and facilities; and the combined sale of DIRECTV NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM) sports subscription packages and TracVision satellite TV systems for cars and RVs by KVH Industries in 2006-2007.

The complete, 32-city ranking follows, and is available at www.hightechtailgating.com.

About KVH Industries, Inc.

Middletown, RI-based KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI), is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communication systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 125,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on boats, RVs, trucks, buses, and automobiles. Winner of the prestigious General Motors Innovative Design Award, CES Innovation Award, 22 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) "Best Product" awards, and a finalist for the Automotive News PACE Award, KVH's mission is to connect mobile customers with the same digital television entertainment, communications, and Internet services that they enjoy in their homes and offices.

About DIRECTV, Inc.

DIRECTV, Inc. (NYSE: DTV), the nation's leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 16 million customers in the United States, through exclusive content, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed cable for six years running) and superior technologies. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 250 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming and the most comprehensive collection of sports programming available anywhere, including NFL SUNDAY TICKET and MLB EXTRA INNINGS(R). DIRECTV also leads the digital television technology revolution with exclusives such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET SuperFan(TM), US OPEN Interactive, and YES Network Interactive, and will soon have the capacity to offer over 150 channels in high-definition.

               AMERICA'S BEST FOOTBALL TAILGATING CITIES INDEX

        A Ranking of the Most "Tailgating-friendly" Cities in the U.S.
              by KVH Industries, DIRECTV and Tailgating Experts

    1. Baltimore                            17. Nashville, Tenn.
    2. Denver                               18. New York  (tied)
    3. Houston                              18. Pittsburgh  (tied)
    4. San Diego                            18. Boston  (tied)
    5. Cincinnati                           21. San Francisco
    6. Miami                                22. Cleveland
    7. Tampa, Fla.                          23. Charlotte, N.C.
    8. Kansas City, Mo.                     24. Los Angeles
    9. Buffalo, N.Y.                        25. Minneapolis
    10. Philadelphia  (tied)                26. Dallas
    10. Phoenix  (tied)                     27. Chicago
    12. Washington, D.C.                    28. Atlanta
    13. Green Bay, Wisc.                    29. New Orleans, La.
    14. Jacksonville, Fla.                  30. St. Louis
    15. Oakland                             31. Detroit
    16. Indianapolis                        32. Seattle