For the First Time Ever, DIRECTV, MetLife, and Hood Blimps

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Aug 27, 2014) - Van Wagner Airship Group LLC announced today, that the DIRECTV and MetLife blimps will join the Hood blimp for a history-making flight over the city of Boston. This is the first blimp parade to take place in the Boston area, and the first time all three airships have flown together over the city. The blimps, and their notable passengers, will fly above some of Boston's most historic landmarks, including but not limited to, Boston Common, Copley Square, and Faneuil Hall. The flight will start at approximately 5 pm ET today, and continue through the early evening (weather permitting).

"We are both excited and honored to be able to support the flight of these three airships, together for the first time, flying high over the Boston area," said John Haegele, CEO, Van Wagner Airship Group. "We are eager to bring this strong community together to witness such a rare event."

Boston-based media personalities, Twitter influencers, and more, will be tweeting and posting pictures, chronicling the three flights from both bird's-eye and ground views. The Boston social media community and spectators are invited to participate by using the hashtag #BlimpParade. Spectators will have the best views of the flight along the Charles River. You can also follow the blimps on Twitter: @DTVBlimp, @HoodBlimp, and @MetLifeBlimp.

An airship group of this size has not flown over a major metro area since 2012, when four Van Wagner Airship Group blimps soared over Manhattan, including the three that will fly over Boston today.

"The Hood blimp has been an icon in Boston since its first flight in 1996, so it was fitting to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion," said Lynne Bohan, vice president of communications and government affairs at Hood. "This is the first year the blimp is also featuring the Boston Red Sox logo, so it's a perfect opportunity to highlight our partnerships with the city's beloved baseball team and Van Wagner Airship Group."

"The Boston Blimp parade is a labor of love for DIRECTV. We're proud to support the community, and look forward to flying over the city's historic landmarks as well as more Patriots, Bruins and Sox games," said Jon Gieselman, SVP of Marketing for DIRECTV. "We're also flying a Boston College student for the parade, so we not only have an extremely well-educated crew, but you can't miss us -- we're the ones with the giant TV screen attached to our blimp."

For more information about the event, click here .

About Hood Founded in 1846, today Hood is one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States. Hood is the number-one dairy brand in New England, and Hood's portfolio of national and super-regional brands and franchise products includes Hood, Crowley Foods, Simply Smart Milk, Heluva Good!, LACTAID®, BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers, HERSHEY'S Milk and Milkshakes, and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilks. For more information about Hood, please visit www.Hood.com .

About DIRECTV DIRECTV ( NASDAQ : DTV ) is one of the world's leading providers of digital television entertainment services, delivering a premium video experience through state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming and industry-leading customer service to more than 37 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 20 million customers access to more than 190 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound, access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, Emmy-award winning technology and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for 13 years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to more than 17 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include two Regional Sports Networks (Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh), and minority ownership interests in Root Sports Northwest and Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit www.directv.com .

About Van Wagner Airship Group LLC Van Wagner Aerial Media, the aerial advertising branch of Van Wagner Communications LLC, specializes in fixed wing aerial advertising solutions, experiential marketing, and airship advertising. Van Wagner Airship Group (VWAG), the company's blimp advertising division, was formed through the key acquisitions of The Lightship Group and the American Blimp Corporation , and is proud to be the designer and manufacturer of the exclusive Lightship model blimps, the most eye-catching advertising blimps today. We provide full service blimp advertising, broadcasting, and promotional programs to large and medium-sized brands both nationally and internationally. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, VWAG has flown in more than 35 countries for the past 20 years, reaching billions of people from above. The exclusive internal illumination of our blimps and a full motion video LED screen (available on select airships) enables us to provide exposure day or night, in varied terrain and conditions. Best known for their constant presence at major live sporting events, our blimps have provided turn-key broadcast services for more than 2,000 live television and radio events. For more information about Van Wagner Airship Group visit www.vanwagneraerial.com , follow them on Twitter and Instagram @VanWagnerAerial , and like them on Facebook .