As the rest of the world prepares for the big blackout of 2009, satellite TV subscribers will be sitting pretty watching all of their favorite sports games live. In-depth sports coverage is one of the best reasons to get Direct TV. What can you expect when you sign up with Direct TV?

For starters, sports fans will get subscriptions to all their favorite sports channels like ESPN, The NFL Network, NBA TV, TVG, Outdoor Channel, CBS College Sports, Fox Soccer, GolTV, Comcast Sports Net, the Madison Square Garden Channel and the YES Network. These channels provide consistent coverage of all competitive games, including some hard to find sports like match fishing and horseracing.

However, the biggest advantage to Direct TV is in its exclusive sports programs like NFL Sunday Ticket. If you love football and are eagerly awaiting the Super Bowl of 2009 or the 2009 season start, then this is the package for you. The NFL Sports Fan package is exclusive to Direct TV and offers subscribers simply put, "Every play. Every game. Every Sunday." Viewers can watch up to 14 NFL games a week regardless of their location. That's over 200 games per season.

In addition to Sunday Ticket, Direct TV also offers Super Fan, an option that lets viewers watch NFL games and other content in HD quality. Viewers can also use their subscription from a remote location, and watch live NFL games from any Internet-supported computer. They can even get replays and news updates from their cellular phone! The Game Mix option lets sports fans watch eight different games on one screen. Last but not least, viewers can watch highlights on demand at any time of day.

However, the NFL is not all you can expect from a Direct TV subscription. Other packages include Nascar Hot Pass, ESPN Game Plan, NCAA Mega March Madness, NBA League Pass, NFL Center Ice, MLS DirectKick and MLB Extra Innings. The MLB Extra Innings package offers a comparable option to Sunday Ticket: fans can watch eight games on one screen via the Game Mix, or watch live MLB games in High Definition. The Strike Zone Channel of the MLB Extra Innings package provides coverage of the best plays all over the league. Like the Sunday Ticket package, these packages offer nearly full coverage of all sporting events in the season. The NBA League Pass offers HD coverage, real time scores and updates and a pass broadband feature, which means you can watch NBA content from any Internet connection you travel to.

2009 is going to be an exciting year for sports, and not just because it will mark the first season of digitally broadcast games. Whether you're an NFL fan, MLB spectator or NBA star-chaser, you can expect the best coverage from satellite television, specifically Direct TV, the only provider that offers exclusive terms with the top leagues in the nation. Direct TV is currently running a special on some of its sports programs where you can get combined coverage of 2008 season games and 2009 season games for one low price.