DIRECTV buys DISH | Allconnect

DIRECTV recently agreed to purchase EchoStar’s DISH TV and Sling TV, paying $1 for the transaction and assuming nearly $10 billion in debt.  The combination of DIRECTV and DISH is years in the making, with both companies desiring this outcome.With the consumer shift to cheaper streaming services, the video services have struggled, reporting: DIRECTV and DISH lost 63% of their satellite customers since 2016.Traditional pay TV penetration in U.S.

households is now less than 50%.“DIRECTV operates in a highly competitive video distribution industry,” said Bill Morrow, Chief Executive Officer, DIRECTV.  “With greater scale, we expect a combined DIRECTV and DISH will be better able to work with programmers to realize our vision for the future of TV, which is to aggregate, curate, and distribute content tailored to customers’ interests, and to be better positioned to realize operating efficiencies while creating value for customers through additional investment.” Customers of the three companies most likely will not see many changes until later next year.The purchase must meet regulatory approvals and isn’t expected to be completed until the fourth quarter of 2025.  EchoStar also owns Boost Mobile and Hughesnet.  AT&T bought DIRECTV in 2015 and eventually sold off a percentage to a private equity firm, TPG, in 2021.

The Associated Press reported that “Shortly before DirecTV made its announcement, AT&T said it was selling its remaining stake in DirecTV to private equity firm TPG in a deal valued at about $7.6 billion.”  Written by: Robin Layton Editor, Broadband Content Robin Layton is an editor for the broadband marketplace Allconnect.She built her internet industry expertise writing and editing for four years on the site, as well as on Allconnect’s sister site MYMOVE.com.… Read more Edited by: Anine Sus Editor I Read bio What to read next Read more Featured How to program and reset your DIRECTV remote Robin Layton — 2 min read Featured DISH’s purchase of Boost Mobile puts it one step closer to its 5G dreams Joe Supan — 4 min read Featured 10 questions you should ask before choosing an internet service Ari Howard — 7 min read Latest Tuesday, October 15, 2024 DIRECTV to buy DISH, SlingTV Robin Layton — 1 min read Monday, October 14, 2024 Starlink offers free internet for remainder of year for hurricane victims Robin Layton — 2 min read Friday, October 11, 2024 Troubleshooting Wi-Fi connection issues: Why can’t I connect to a network? Camryn Smith — 5 min read