But what if you don't have DIRECTV and have no desire to change? Odds are you have a friend or relative who does. Give them $40. Get your polar bear mount on. Oh, and before we start complaining because we didn't think of it first, the odds are the mount will be delivered via redeemable code in game, so even if you don't care, eBay always cares.

DIRECTV Delivers Unprecedented Event Access to Sold-Out BlizzCon™ 2008
DIRECTV’s Live BlizzCon 2008 Pay Per View Event Is Free To Customers Who Sign Up for DIRECTV by Sept. 30

BlizzCon(TM) 2008
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—BlizzCon™ 2008, Blizzard Entertainment®’s sold-out gaming convention celebrating the global player communities that surround its Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes, will be televised live in HD on Oct. 10 and 11 as a pay per view package available exclusively to DIRECTV customers nationwide.

DIRECTV is currently running a special promotion — available through the BlizzCon website (http://www.blizzcon.com/dtv) – offering the pay per view event free to new customers who sign up for DIRECTV by Sept. 30, 2008. Current DIRECTV customers will be able to order the event beginning Sept. 28 for $39.95.

In addition, DIRECTV customers who purchase the pay per view event or get it as part of the special promotion will also receive an exclusive in-game polar bear mount, complete with a BlizzCon-flag-waving murloc, for the World of Warcraft character they play.

“This first-ever BlizzCon pay per view event is an exciting option for Blizzard gamers across the country,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, New Media and Business Development, DIRECTV, Inc. “For the first time, they don’t have to rely on the Internet to get the inside scoop on the convention. Viewers will feel like they are actually walking the show floor as they watch live coverage of the event from DIRECTV in HD. We are happy to be partnering with Blizzard Entertainment and to televise one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year exclusively to DIRECTV customers nationwide.”

This DIRECTV-produced pay per view event will deliver more than 16 hours of live HD coverage from the show floor spanning both days of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demonstrations and more. The live coverage, broadcast from the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., will air Oct. 10 and 11 on DIRECTV channels 97 (HD) and 120 (SD).

For more information on how to order the DIRECTV BlizzCon 2008 pay-per-view event please visit www.blizzcon.com or call 1-800-728-9375.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

Yes, Blizzard and DirecTV are joining forces to broadcast highlights of the show via pay per view. Don't have DirecTV? New subscribers in August will get the BlizzCon pay per view for free with their order. I cannot think of a more ridiculous reason to change your cable television provider.

BlizzCon™ 2008 Tickets on Sale August 11
Unprecedented event coverage also available exclusively on DIRECTV

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention will go on sale August 11 and that live coverage of the event will be available as an exclusive DIRECTV pay per view event. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®’s Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes. The event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer an array of activities, including discussion panels, hands-on playtime with upcoming games, tournaments, contests, and more. Tickets to the convention will be priced at $100 USD each, and will be available for purchase directly from the official BlizzCon website at www.blizzcon.com.

The pay per view event will deliver a minimum of eight hours of live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Beginning in August, DIRECTV will run a promotion offering the BlizzCon pay per view event free to new DIRECTV subscribers. Pricing for existing DIRECTV customers and programming details will be available in the coming weeks from Blizzard Entertainment and DIRECTV.

“BlizzCon is one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year, and we are excited to partner with Blizzard Entertainment to deliver coverage of the show to gamers nationwide,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, new media and business development, DIRECTV. “With our BlizzCon pay per view package, members of Blizzard’s gaming communities who are not attending the event can now experience it in crystal-clear HD.”

As the event draws closer, further details will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.