UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
August 26, 2004
CenturyTel, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Louisiana 1-7784 72-0651161
(State or other (Commission File (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of Number) Identification No.)
incorporation)
100 CenturyTel Drive, Monroe, Louisiana 71203
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (318) 388-9000
Item 8.01. OTHER EVENTS
On August 26, 2004, the Company issued the following press release.
August 26, 2004 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CenturyTel Media: Annmarie Sartor 318.388.9671
annmarie.sartor@centurytel.com
CenturyTel Investors: Tony Davis 318.388.9525
tony.davis@centurytel.com
EchoStar Media: Steve Caulk 303.723.2010
steve.caulk@echostar.com
CenturyTel and EchoStar sign strategic partnership agreement to offer
CenturyTel | DISH Network satellite TV services
MONROE, La. and ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Aug. 26, 2004 -- CenturyTel, Inc. (NYSE: CTL)
and EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) announced today a
strategic partnership that will allow it to provide CenturyTel | DISH Network
satellite television to households in 22 states served by CenturyTel. The
relationship allows CenturyTel to offer customers multi-channel digital TV as
part of its full suite of bundled product and service offerings. CenturyTel
expects to begin offering its co-branded satellite TV services by the end of the
year in a one-bill, one-point-of-contact service.
"Integrating video entertainment services into our product and service
bundles offers our customers more choice, value and convenience," said Glen F.
Post, III, CenturyTel chairman and CEO. "This agreement puts CenturyTel in a
strong strategic position to compete with other service providers in our markets
and should help drive additional revenue."
Under this arrangement, CenturyTel will be the primary point of contact for
CenturyTel | DISH customers with responsibility for marketing, account
management and billing-related inquiries. Programming, installation and
technical support will be handled by a co-branded DISH Network team.
"We're pleased with this opportunity to provide CenturyTel customers the
savings and convenience of a single bill and single point of contact for DISH
Network's all-digital TV and CenturyTel communications services," said Charles
Ergen, chairman and chief executive officer at EchoStar. "We are also excited
about the additional leverage that this partnership gives us in our efforts to
educate consumers on the benefits of satellite over cable."
CenturyTel will market the satellite TV product as CenturyTel | DISH
Network, offering CenturyTel customers hundreds of popular, all-digital TV
channels including movies, sports, news, music and high-definition TV
programming. The satellite TV product will be part of a bundle that may include
local and long distance telephone service, multiple feature offerings and
dial-up or high-speed DSL Internet service.
Key Elements of the Co-Branded Partnership Include
o Unified Customer Experience - CenturyTel will manage the customer
relationship, allowing consumers to order, arrange installation and
activate service from one source.
o Single Bill - CenturyTel | DISH Network customers will be billed for
their TV services as part of a single CenturyTel bill.
o Bundling Flexibility - CenturyTel customers will have additional
choice, better value and greater convenience in their communications
and entertainment service bundles.
o Co-Branding - The TV service will be co-branded as CenturyTel | DISH
Network, delivering strategic marketing benefits for both EchoStar and
CenturyTel.
o CenturyTel Investment - CenturyTel will make a $25 million investment
in EchoStar in the form of a convertible note.
CenturyTel, Inc. provides communications services including local, long
distance, Internet access and data services to customers in 22 states. The
company, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, is publicly traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol CTL, and is included in the S&P 500 Index.
CenturyTel is the 8th largest local exchange telephone company, based on access
lines, in the United States. Visit CenturyTel at www.centurytel.com.
EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH) serves more than 10.1
million satellite customers through its DISH Network(TM) and is a leading U.S.
provider of advanced digital television services. DISH Network's services
include hundreds of video and audio channels, Interactive TV, HDTV, sports and
international programming, together with professional and 24-hour customer
service. DISH Network is the leader in the sale of digital video recorders
(DVRs). J.D. Power and Associates ranks DISH Network No. 1 in Customer
Satisfaction among Cable/Satellite TV Subscribers. Visit EchoStar's DISH Network
at www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
CenturyTel, Inc.
Dated: August 27, 2004 By: /s/ Neil A. Sweasy
----------------------
Neil A. Sweasy
Vice President and Controller