Hughes Electronics [NYSE: GMH] satellite TV subsidiary DirecTV Inc. on Thursday began offering local broadcast channels in the Richmond, Va., market to subscribers who request the upgrade.

Richmond is the 52^nd U.S. market where DirecTV offers local broadcast channels. The local signals are available for an additional charge, or are included in any DirecTV TOTAL CHOICE programming package, which costs $39.99 per month. The 52 markets where DirecTV offers local channels accounts for more than 68 percent of U.S. television households.