DirecTV Purchasing Dish, Sling TV

[Georgie56 3292]

AT&T is also selling off their stake in D*:

 

 

[Spring Rubber 700]

"This strategic move is expected to provide customers with compelling video options and allow us to accelerate our vision for the future of TV."

 

In other words, more consolidation and less options for consumers.

[Megatron81 256]

The DOJ & FCC will approve the deal this time around than 20 years ago when there wasn't a lot of options. 

[T.L. Hughes 881]

5 hours ago, Megatron81 said:

The DOJ & FCC will approve the deal this time around than 20 years ago when there wasn't a lot of options. 

The Streamable suggested that too in its report on the merger. However, the DirecTV-Dish combo does create a monopoly in satellite TV; it’s possible that could still give the DOJ some pause since the Antitrust Division has been more scrutinizing of horizontal mergers (involving companies operating in the same industry) than vertical mergers (those that involve consolidation of companies in different industries, like with Amazon’s 2022 purchase of MGM, ironically despite Amazon already being in the TV and film production business).

 

Compare the current limited competition in the satellite industry to 1997, when there were four DBS providers (DirecTV, Dish, USSB and Primestar) and at least three C-band/Ku-band programming distributors (Netlink, Superstar and TurnerVision). Since then, USSB and Primestar both merged with DirecTV, Voom and OrbyTV launched and shut down, and the DBS providers iced the BUD programmers out of the marketplace.

 

OTOH, the number of cable providers remain in the dozens (major providers like Comcast, Charter (Spectrum) and Verizon Fios, and many mid-sized and small providers like Cox, Altice (Optimum), Cable One (Sparklight), Mediacom and Service Electric) and six vMVPD services (joined by YouTube TV, Hulu, Fubo, Philo and FriendlyTV) would still be left—with a seventh joining in the off-chance Venu Sports is allowed to get off the ground—following the merger of DirecTV Stream and Sling.

 

On top of that, the merger of Sling and DirecTV Stream could pose an issue considering significant pricing differences between the two, unless DirecTV agrees not to substantially raise prices for current Sling subscribers (DirecTV Stream’s packages start at $80, whereas Sling’s start at $40). DirecTV’s recent deal with Disney allows for genre-based packages, but it’s a while off before it can implement that kind of tiering, since that requires making similar agreements with other pay-TV programmers (like Comcast/NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount).

Edited September 30, 2024 by T.L. Hughes

[nickp 337]

DIRECTV buying DISH is quite interesting in the ever evolving TV world

[mre29 1513]

Shades of SiriusXM...