DirecTV buoyed by high-income customers-CEO

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - DirecTV Group Inc (DTV.O) is well-positioned to weather an economic downturn and the current credit crunch because most of its customers are in higher income brackets, CEO Chase Carey said on Wednesday.

"We are certainly not ignorant of what you read and what you see in terms of the credit risks and economic risks," Carey told investors at a conference in Phoenix. "But in all honesty, (its effect) would probably be marginal at most."

The company's percentage of customers earning more than $75,000 annually was significantly higher in the third quarter than it was a year ago, Carey said.

He added that the number of higher risk customers "is down to probably a lower single digit percentage of our customers."

The company has also instituted credit scoring, credit card requirements and social security requirements that will protect it from riskier customers, Carey said. (Reporting by Amanda Beck; Editing by Gary Hill)