Witness: US consumers will pay $571M more if AT&T-Time Warner merger is OK’d

Gee, I got a bigger discount on my combined DIRECTV/AT&T bill plus streaming on the DIRECTV app doesn’t count against my wireless data usage. Plus since the start of the TIme Warmer merger I’ve been getting HBO for free, so I’d say consumers are getting something.
We'll, It's being paid for some kind of way. Some DTV customers are not AT&T wireless customers. So, They are seeing yearly increases and I'm sure ATT/DIRECTV customers are also. Those discounts you are getting are only for a little while then your bill goes up. We all know about their todeo show. We didn't just get hear. I have been in DIRECTV'S cross hairs since 2007.
 
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Yea right. They won't block other providers or raise prices for at least a year or two, or if we're lucky maybe three. :rolleyes:
Raise prices for the other content providers? Or AT&T's customers? Because they raised prices each year that they owned DIRECTV and I was a customer. So who's fooling whom?
 
We'll, It's being paid for some kind of way. Some DTV customers are not AT&T wireless customers. So, They are seeing yearly increases and I'm sure ATT/DIRECTV customers are also. Those discounts you are getting are only for a little while then your bill goes up. We all know about their todeo show. We didn't just get hear. I have been in DIRECTV'S cross hairs since 2007.
My discount for combined service isn’t a promo rate, as long as I have both I get the discount. Will I get hit with the annual increase like everyone else, yes, but at least I have the discount. As for who’s paying for it, I am with part of my Wired’s bill. We all know they make a killing on wireless customers so they try to lock me in with those discounts and free HBO which I lose if I go somewhere else.
 
You know something? What did we get or gain by AT&T buying DIRECTV? Not a darn thing! They are picking it apart. Keeping the good things they like and getting rid of the stuff they don't. Caller ID never hurt anyone nor Auto Tune. But, To AT&T it apparently does. The customer has no say in the matter. I mean watching DTV anywhere or outside the house is so so. The synergies have helped AT&T's bottom line. What did we get? Yearly increases by DIRECTV leading up to this merger. And AT&T continuing with this practice.
DirecTV was just fine until AT&T took the reigns and ran it into the ground. Problem is they are the best choice in terms of sports and channel offerings so what can you do... Anyway if at&t really cared they would sell off D* heck the way things are going with pay tv maybe it's time for A Dish DirecTV merger???
 
DirecTV was just fine until AT&T took the reigns and ran it into the ground. Problem is they are the best choice in terms of sports and channel offerings so what can you do... Anyway if at&t really cared they would sell off D* heck the way things are going with pay tv maybe it's time for A Dish DirecTV merger???

No Dish / DirecTV merger ever PLEASE! That would completely eliminate all competition for the millions who can't get cable, FIOS or fast internet. You would have only 1 choice over huge sections of the country.
 
My discount for combined service isn’t a promo rate, as long as I have both I get the discount. Will I get hit with the annual increase like everyone else, yes, but at least I have the discount. As for who’s paying for it, I am with part of my Wired’s bill. We all know they make a killing on wireless customers so they try to lock me in with those discounts and free HBO which I lose if I go somewhere else.
I am not arguing about discounts. What you are benefitting from is a monopoly's size, power and deep pockets. Your bill will go up. Enjoy what you are getting from them. It won't be forever. If you are AT&T's size they can do all that stuff you gloat about. Their grandfathered customers don't get those benefits unless they start over as customer. What we see is AT&T chiseling away at DIRECTV so you can get those benefits. I would open my eyes or get some info from their loyal customers. They know about independent DIRECTV versus AT&T Family DIRECTV. There is a difference between the two. What has not changed is these yearly increases. And we still can't figure out why we are paying for channels we don't get or don't know what Satellite dish we need for those special channels they claim they are not charging us for. Hell I have Sports Pack and don't even know what the 20 Sports channels are. How do you like that? Nevertheless, enjoy your deal with them. I ain't knocking you...

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Their grandfathered customers don't get those benefits unless they start over as customer. What we see is AT&T chiseling away at DIRECTV so you can get those benefits.
I've been a DIRECTV customer since 2004 and I've received those benefits, such as combined billing discounts and free HBO, son don't see where grandfathers customers aren't getting benefits. And the only chiseling away I've seen at DIRECTV is customer support, we continue to get new channels and DIRECTV planning has positioned themselves to be able to handle any expansion in 4K programming.
 
I've been a DIRECTV customer since 2004 and I've received those benefits, such as combined billing discounts and free HBO, son don't see where grandfathers customers aren't getting benefits. And the only chiseling away I've seen at DIRECTV is customer support, we continue to get new channels and DIRECTV planning has positioned themselves to be able to handle any expansion in 4K programming.

Then where are the SES 4K channels that other providers are adding? Not on DirecTV that's for sure. Didn't DirecTV recently cancel orders for future satellites and also didn't AT&T state that they intend to go IP only and do away with satellites altogether? Yes they did on both counts.

The only reason you're in denial about this merger is because you're hoping for free HBO for DirecTV subs. Just admit that and join the rest of us in seeing the fact that this merger would be terrible for everybody who is not an AT&T subscriber.
 
Then where are the SES 4K channels that other providers are adding? Not on DirecTV that's for sure. Didn't DirecTV recently cancel orders for future satellites and also didn't AT&T state that they intend to go IP only and do away with satellites altogether? Yes they did on both counts.

The only reason you're in denial about this merger is because you're hoping for free HBO for DirecTV subs. Just admit that and join the rest of us in seeing the fact that this merger would be terrible for everybody who is not an AT&T subscriber.
I don’t know where those SES 4K channels are but I don’t care since except for NASA none of them interests me. And the two other providers that I could get service from, Spectrum, with no 4K channels and Dish with very limited 4K don’t match DIRECTV.

Do you have a link to where it announced that the current sats on order have been cancelled, I guess I missed that. Could they eventually go only internet based in the futures, maybe, guess it will depend if the DBS business continues to make money.

I don’t have to hope for free HBO, I have it now. I am an AT&T stockholder and I hope that the merger will make getting AT&T service more attractive to new customers.
 
I don’t know where those SES 4K channels are but I don’t care since except for NASA none of them interests me. And the two other providers that I could get service from, Spectrum, with no 4K channels and Dish with very limited 4K don’t match DIRECTV.

Do you have a link to where it announced that the current sats on order have been cancelled, I guess I missed that. Could they eventually go only internet based in the futures, maybe, guess it will depend if the DBS business continues to make money.

I don’t have to hope for free HBO, I have it now. I am an AT&T stockholder and I hope that the merger will make getting AT&T service more attractive to new customers.

Now the truth comes out. You have an interest in AT&T and stand to gain financially from this one sided merger. You're an AT&T share holder and sub and you're here in a DISH forum trying to sell us on a monopoly that you hope to have an ownership stake in.

I can see any more discussion with you on this matter would be futile so adios.
 
And for folks who don't get to the DirecTV forum here on Satguys here's a link to a thread by Scott about DirecTV moving away from satellites.

Directv to shift away from Satellite?

I couldn't find the actual press release that I had previously seen about the cancellation of any future DirecTV satellites that aren't already built but here is a screen shot from reputable satguys members with the gist of it.

upload_2018-4-16_21-57-13.png
 
You said , D16 is being built, it's not already built.

D16 was under construction, partially built, being built or whatever the hell you want to call it, when the cancellation of all future satellites was announced. So what. Everything after that has been cancelled, which was my point and thank you for emphasizing it.
 
Where does that logic stop then? Petroleum companies not allowed to own gas stations?
Actually, that is the law in Maryland.
Exxon Corp. v. Governor of Maryland, 437 U.S. 117 (1978)
Responding to evidence that, during the 1973 petroleum shortage, oil producers or refiners were favoring company-operated gasoline stations, Maryland enacted a statute prohibiting producers or refiners from operating retail service stations within the State, and requiring them to extend all "voluntary allowances" (temporary price reductions granted to independent dealers injured by local competitive price reductions) uniformly to all stations they supply.
 
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