It's official.....AT&T is BUYING DirecTV!

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

http://about.att.com/story/att_to_acquire_directv.html

 

Well crap.

[Samantha 2896]

This has two ramifications: will AT&T continue to support U-Verse, and will the FCC and FTC let this sail on through?

[MorningNews 1455]

I have DirecTV and love them but it seems that the response to this is negative. What is expected to change under AT&T leadership?

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

I could see parts of U-Verse filling in the gaps that DirecTV has, mainly with local channel selection and the ability to carry stations' subchannels. Also, there is the benefit of high-speed internet service AND cell phone service that users can bundle. It has the potential of being a realistic triple play unlike the phone service that most cable companies bundle in.

 

But this is AT&T we're talking about. the service has perpetually sucked as long as I've ever had them, from cell phones, to their so-called "high speed" internet otherwise known as DSL. DirecTV is such a good company, I hate to see this happen.

[Action Newsroom 1283]

Ohh man.

Well, I don't love Dish as much as I LOVED DirecTV, but when this goes through, I'll love them even more.

[AaronQ 282]

Come on Google Fiber, bring some love to the Queen City.

[Weeters 1916]

I have the strangest feeling that this purchase is just part of their effort to abandon their copper infrastructure. The project to string up fiber in the big cities (and probably more down the line) is another part of this. With the purchase of DirecTV, they can rebrand it as something like "Uverse Wireless" and push forward on the part of the plan to switch people from wired DSL to cellular 4G LTE without overloading cell towers in rural areas with IPTV traffic.

[Samantha 2896]

 

I have the strangest feeling that this purchase is just part of their effort to abandon their copper infrastructure. The project to string up fiber in the big cities (and probably more down the line) is another part of this. With the purchase of DirecTV, they can rebrand it as something like "Uverse Wireless" and push forward on the part of the plan to switch people from wired DSL to cellular 4G LTE without overloading cell towers in rural areas with IPTV traffic.

 

I don't think they would rebrand DirecTV and throw two decades of brand equity down the drain like that.

[ChesapeakeTV 311]

 

I don't think they would rebrand DirecTV and throw two decades of brand equity down the drain like that.

 

Dumber things have happened.

[tvjay 6]

If this means my prices go down I am okay with this deal but something tells me that is NOT going to happen. Bigger is always better, right?

[Thundershock MN 169]

Beat me to it Weeters. I was just going to post the same thing. They will abandon (or, most likely sell) the copper. Heck, in some ways they pretty much said that with the launch of their Project VIP intitive last year. They will have fiber-based land services (ie: u-verse phone, TV, internet) in selected markets/big cities. And, "wireless" services (ie: Mobile phone, 4g LTE internet & DirecTV) available nationwide.

 

DirecTV's revenue will be very valuable to AT&T as it will help fund their other ambitions. And, let's not forget Verizon is effectivly setting up this same model. Just swap "DirecTV" for the old Intel "On Cue" service they purchased. So, IMO there is a little bit of "keeping up with the Jones'" here too....and, Comcast.

 

I'm kind of "meh" on this deal. I have service through both companies and have never had any major issues. Plus, DirecTV has had several overlords throughout the years (GM, News Corp., Liberty) and my view didn't change through any of them. Yes, I know AT&T and DirecTV operate within the same industry. But, I really see DirecTV operating somewhat autonomously within the AT&T machine. They have already stated within the press release(s) that DirecTV will remain headquartered in El Segundo, California. So, I don't forsee any major changes in DirecTV service.

 

The only major thing I'm worried about is how much of that "DirecTV revenue" gets diverted to AT&T's other projects. Hopefully, they don't use DirecTV as just an ATM and leave some cash in the coffers for them to develop/innovate going forward. But, looking on the positive side we might now have storefronts to exchange DirecTV equipment,etc.

 

So, I guess I'm a little more optimistic then most. And, it's likely to be "status quo" for the next 3-4 years. I'm willing to take a wait and see approach before passing judgment.

[Mrknowitall526 115]

In this part of PA, and the whole state if I'm not mistaken, AT&T has no landline presence. I wonder what this means for Directv customers. A popular thing to do here in the Lehigh Valley, where we only have Service Electric & RCN cable available, and most of the time it's either one or the other, is get a triple play from Verizon - landline, DSL, and Directv - all on one bill (Verizon) with discounts for bundling. I wonder if that will continue - Verizon will sell Directv, which is now owned by AT&T? For some reason I don't see that happening. But it's not as if they could suddenly offer AT&T DSL - since it doesn't exist in PA.

[damien6786 9]

That just Great We have Comcast buying Time Warner Now At&t buying Directv. Now Dish is the only one out there. How many monopolies are we is gonna get?

[ToriElectra 292]

It's likely that other telcos that bundle TV with internet and phone will likely switch to Dish; Sprint's local division used to do that; it was then spun off as Embarq, then merged with CenturyTel to become CenturyLink, and recently acquired Qwest (a former Baby Bell); somewhere in all that they switched from Dish to Direct, so they'll probably switch back.

[rkolsen 1684]

It's likely that other telcos that bundle TV with internet and phone will likely switch to Dish; Sprint's local division used to do that; it was then spun off as Embarq, then merged with CenturyTel to become CenturyLink, and recently acquired Qwest (a former Baby Bell); somewhere in all that they switched from Dish to Direct, so they'll probably switch back.

Verizon will most likely switch - we have Fios in this area but the Verizon website offers DirecTV as a bundle deal. I imagine they'll switch to E*.

[detroiter313 180]

Well, what's going to happen to DirecTV's rival Dish, will they merge too?

[rkolsen 1684]

Well, what's going to happen to DirecTV's rival Dish, will they merge too?

Doubt that the E* merger will happen anytime soon and I think it was mentioned that the negotiations were called off.

[sanewsguy 511]

I am 100% for this deal. AT&T is a great company and I'm sure that customers won't see any change. AT&T wants DirecTV for their technology and subscriber base otherwise they wouldn't be buying them. This deal will allow AT&T to invest millions to improve DirecTV's infrastructure. The general consensus is they suck I guess but most of the posters here are coming from either Verizon or Qwest territory.

 

 

 

I could see parts of U-Verse filling in the gaps that DirecTV has, mainly with local channel selection and the ability to carry stations' subchannels. Also, there is the benefit of high-speed internet service AND cell phone service that users can bundle. It has the potential of being a realistic triple play unlike the phone service that most cable companies bundle in.

 

But this is AT&T we're talking about. the service has perpetually sucked as long as I've ever had them, from cell phones, to their so-called "high speed" internet otherwise known as DSL. DirecTV is such a good company, I hate to see this happen.

 

AT&T has great internet, it's extremely fast and they're what I'm using to post this comment you're reading. And didn't you say in another thread you're a Comcast customer?

 

 

That just Great We have Comcast buying Time Warner Now At&t buying Directv. Now Dish is the only one out there. How many monopolies are we is gonna get?

 

How is AT&T buying DirecTV OR Comcast buying Time Warner a monopoly? You still have Dish, Verizon, Charter, Suddenlink Cable, etc. So no, this would not be a monopoly.

[jmkcool2002 8]

Shameless plug: How will AT&T deal affect sports programming on DirecTV http://jmanmediazone.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-does-at-mean-for-sports-television.html

[stevieboy247 42]

 

Verizon will most likely switch - we have Fios in this area but the Verizon website offers DirecTV as a bundle deal. I imagine they'll switch to E*.

 

That wouldn't surprise me giving that fact that Verizon and AT&T are bitter rivals in the wireless industry.

[A3N 1002]

 

Verizon will most likely switch - we have Fios in this area but the Verizon website offers DirecTV as a bundle deal. I imagine they'll switch to E*.

 

I would not be surprised if Verizon and COX start working with each other more in the near future. They already have a partnership here in San Diego where you can get a bundle with TV, Internet from COX and home phone service (and/or cell phone service) from Verizon. Having Verizon as a partner would stave off other companies from trying to buy COX and at the same time allow both companies to be more competitive with the new AT&T/DirecTV.

[Samantha 2896]

Cox is a very unusual bird in all of this activity. It is not publicly held, which is part of the reason why. Large enough to have scale in cable, small enough to fly under the media radar.

[TVIntheDesert 183]

 

That wouldn't surprise me giving that fact that Verizon and AT&T are bitter rivals in the wireless industry.

 

However, in some of the areas in which Verizon has local telephone and Internet services, Dish does not carry the big regional sports networks. The New York market is the most notable.

 

I also wonder what that means for NFL Sunday Ticket. Verizon has a tight partnership with the NFL, and now an AT&T subsidiary will exclusively carry Sunday Ticket, even though the contract is about to expire in a year or two. Does this mean we'll see YouTube and Netflix get in the running for NFLST?

[Nelson R. 569]

Now I hear this deal is hinging on DirecTV renewing NFL Sunday Ticket. (Don't see why they wouldn't though).

[tyrannical bastard 3955]

 

 

 

 

AT&T has great internet, it's extremely fast and they're what I'm using to post this comment you're reading. And didn't you say in another thread you're a Comcast customer?

 

 

 

Yes, I am a still a Comcast customer. My only other option was AT&T's DSL service after Comcast royally screwed me by taking a MONTH to re-install service when I moved and THEN didn't show up! I was so furious that I went with DirecTV and AT&T's DSL. At the time, the DSL was at the advertised speed of 1.5mbps, then after about 6 months, the service went to hell, never getting over 300k. I begrudgingly went back to Comcast which was much faster, but WAY more expensive, and they've been trying to extort me for a modem rental fee for a modem I've owned for over a decade.

 

And even after UVerse came to town, I still can't get it here. Well, I sort of do, but all it is is re-packaged DSL service they're branding as "UVerse".

 

The bright side to this is that our Comcast cluster is going to be sold off to the new "SpinCo" joint venture between Charter and the spinoff company should the TWC-Comcast deal go through. I'm not holding my breath since much of the problems are on the local end and the same personnel and equipment issues are going to persist even after the switch.