HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORP
8-K, 2000-03-03
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, NEC
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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           Washington, D.C. 20549-1004





                                    FORM 8-K
                    CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OF
                            THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



          Date of Report
(Date of earliest event reported) March 1, 2000
                                  -------------




                        HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATIONON
              -----------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)




     STATE OF DELAWARE               0-26035                 52-1106564
- ----------------------------   -----------------------    -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction        (Commission            (I.R.S. Employer
 of incorporation or organization)   File Number)         Identification No.)




                          200 North Sepulveda Boulevard
                          El Segundo, California 90245
                         -------------------------------
                                 (310) 662-9688
                                ----------------
               (Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
        including area code, of registrants' principal executive office)






















                                      - 1 -

ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS

      On March 1, 2000, Hughes Electronics  Corporation  (Hughes) issued the
following press release:

                       HUGHES TAKES STAKE IN SKYPERFECTV;
                    DIRECTV JAPAN SUBSCRIBERS TO BE MIGRATED

      EL SEGUNDO,  Calif., March 1, 2000 -- Hughes Electronics Corporation today
announced  that DIRECTV Japan will add its  400,000-subscriber  base to the more
than 1.7  million  subscribers  of  SkyPerfecTV.  As a result of the  subscriber
migration,  DIRECTV  Japan's  operation  will  be  discontinued.  As part of the
transaction,  Hughes and other shareholders of DIRECTV Japan will take an equity
stake in  SkyPerfecTV,  which has  announced  that it expects to have an initial
public offering (IPO) later this year.

      The financial  impact of the  transaction on Hughes,  whether  positive or
negative, is expected to be minimal and is not determinable at this time.

      In addition to the announced  transaction,  Hughes will continue to record
its share of the losses  incurred by DIRECTV Japan during this wind-down  period
at a rate less than reported in the fourth quarter of 1999.

      "Although  subscriber  growth of DIRECTV  Japan was  improving,  we do not
believe it was  sufficient  to achieve  our  corporate  objectives  of being the
market leader in each of our key businesses while maximizing shareholder value,"
said Michael T. Smith,  Chairman and CEO of Hughes. "This move makes SkyPerfecTV
a  more  powerful  competitor  to  the  terrestrial  and  satellite   television
broadcasters  in Japan,  and provides a means for Hughes to  participate  in its
substantial growth potential."

      Both DIRECTV Japan and SkyPerfecTV offer direct-to-home  satellite service
that consists of video and audio  channels  beamed  directly from a satellite to
small dish antennas.  SkyPerfecTV provides over 180 channels while DIRECTV Japan
provides  over 150  channels.  DIRECTV  Japan will supply its  subscribers  with
SkyPerfecTV receiving equipment at no cost to them.

      Japan Digital  Broadcasting  Services,  Inc.,  operator of the SkyPerfecTV
satellite  service,  in December  announced that it would list its shares during
the fiscal  year  starting  April 1. The  shares  will be listed on  Mothers,  a
section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange for  high-growth and emerging  stocks.  As a
result of the  transaction,  Hughes will own a 6.8  percent  interest in the new
company  prior to the IPO, with the DIRECTV  Japan  shareholders  owning a total
10.2 percent interest in the new company.

     In addition to Hughes,  DIRECTV Japan  shareholders  include  Sotsu,  Inc.;
Matsushita Electric Co., Ltd.; Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd.; Mitsubishi  Corporation;
Mitsubishi  Electric Co., Ltd.;  Space  Communications  Corporation;  Dai Nippon
Printing Co., Ltd.; IBM Japan; and Orix Corporation.

     SkyPerfecTV  was  established  when  PerfecTV,  the nation's  first digital
communications  satellite (CS) broadcaster,  and Japan Sky Broadcasting  (JSkyB)
merged on May 1, 1998.  Shareholders of SkyPerfecTV  include Itochu Corp.,  Sony
Corp., Fuji Television Network Inc., News Corp., Softbank Corp., Japan Satellite
Systems Inc., Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corp. and Nissho Iwai Corp.

      Hughes  Electronics  is a unit of General  Motors  Corporation  and offers
DIRECTV  digital  entertainment  services  to more  than 9  million  subscribers
throughout the Western  Hemisphere.  The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used
to calculate the earnings per share  attributable  to the General Motors Class H
common stock (NYSE:GMH).

                                       ###

                                      - 2 -

                                    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 hereunto duly authorized.


                                          HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
                                          ------------------------------
                                                  (Registrant)



                                       By
Date March 3, 2000                     /s/Roxanne S. Austin
     ----------------                  -----------------------------------
                                       (Roxanne S. Austin,
                                        Chief Financial Officer)















































                                      - 3 -



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