Potential changes in AT&T's ownership of DirecTV

DirecTVFanSince2016

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
Apr 26, 2023
1,282
379
Scranton, PA

"AT&T Inc. has begun to explore options for its 70% stake in DirecTV as it approaches the end of an agreement upon which it can legally sell its interest in America’s third-largest pay-TV provider.

Among AT&T’s options are: a dividend recapitalization, adding a new investor, or selling the stake and exiting the venture as early as August 2024, according to people familiar with the discussions, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t public. A deal isn’t imminent and discussions are still in the early stages, they said. The current ownership structure may still continue as is."
 
I agree, they weren't very great at all under whole AT&T ownership. They're much better now, but I don't think they'll really be back to their pre-AT&T era until they exit the venture. Heck, back in April (shortly before I had to come here from iamanedgecutter) I left AT&T mobile for T-Mobile.
 
Last edited:
I agree, they weren't very great at all under whole AT&T ownership. They're much better now, but I don't think they'll really be back to their pre-AT&T era until they exit the venture. Heck, back in April I left AT&T mobile for T-Mobile.
Does this mean that who ever gets it, Might revitalize D* ?

I guess enough money and commitment could do that ...
New Sats and especially new recvrs might be a nice Start.

Paying attention to those of us that are Still with them would be a good move as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirecTVFanSince2016
Does this mean that who ever gets it, Might revitalize D* ?

I guess enough money and commitment could do that ...
New Sats and especially new recvrs might be a nice Start.

Paying attention to those of us that are Still with them would be a good move as well.

Why in the world would new satellites revitalize Directv? What do you think they will do with a new satellite that the current set can't?

They do have new receivers - the Gemini and the H26K. Maybe you want an HS27 but other than adding tuners (which is a niche market getting more niche every day as more TVs are streaming vs connected to cable/satellite in everyone's homes) or supporting more simultaneous 4K TVs (which is hardly necessary given that we've clearly got all the 4K we will ever see on cable/satellite, but I guess it wouldn't) what would it provide?

The HS26K is commercial only, but they had a far bigger hole in their commercial offerings than they do in their residential.
 
Why in the world would new satellites revitalize Directv? What do you think they will do with a new satellite that the current set can't?

They do have new receivers - the Gemini and the H26K. Maybe you want an HS27 but other than adding tuners (which is a niche market getting more niche every day as more TVs are streaming vs connected to cable/satellite in everyone's homes) or supporting more simultaneous 4K TVs (which is hardly necessary given that we've clearly got all the 4K we will ever see on cable/satellite, but I guess it wouldn't) what would it provide?

The HS26K is commercial only, but they had a far bigger hole in their commercial offerings than they do in their residential.
Reason I said that was because you always here, the D* Sats are at the end of thier life (which they are not, most are not anyways).

Recvrs are a bigger issue ....

If they continue to do nothing other than Clients working off a Server then they are saying the hell with all the Campers and Tailgaters ...

The Commercial unit may work great for the Bars, but does Nothing for the everyday sub.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AZ.
Reason I said that was because you always here, the D* Sats are at the end of thier life (which they are not, most are not anyways).

Recvrs are a bigger issue ....

If they continue to do nothing other than Clients working off a Server then they are saying the hell with all the Campers and Tailgaters ...

The Commercial unit may work great for the Bars, but does Nothing for the everyday sub.
They said to hell with campers and tailgaters along long time ago
 
Reason I said that was because you always here, the D* Sats are at the end of thier life (which they are not, most are not anyways).

Recvrs are a bigger issue ....

If they continue to do nothing other than Clients working off a Server then they are saying the hell with all the Campers and Tailgaters ...

The Commercial unit may work great for the Bars, but does Nothing for the everyday sub.

Directv is going where the meat of the market is, and probably doesn't think the camper/tailgater market is worth worrying about beyond the existing customers who have H24/H25 for that use.

The problem is that what works for camping/tailgating also works for account stacking, and the Genie 2 + clients is perfect solution for killing account stacking. They probably lost more money to that than they made from campers and tailgaters.
 
Never heard of that. What is that? I’m assuming it’s one person having multiple DirecTV accounts.
Example-someone has 4 receivers and they are at 3 locations (their house, their sisters location and brothers loc) and they split the bill. So instead of 3 people paying say $125 a month its one charge of $125 and they split it 3 ways.

Account stacking is a broadcast industry term, which refers to the deployment of subscription Direct To Home (DTH) satellite receiving equipment at multiple geographical locations under a single customer account. It is often referred to as second address service, subscription sharing, or account splitting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirecTVFanSince2016
Never heard of that. What is that? I’m assuming it’s one person having multiple DirecTV accounts.
Yes, say one had DirecTV, ordered six boxes, but only need two, then one for Brother, Sister, Parents, whomever.

All they would have to do is put Dish up, wiring, stuff that is easily bought.

Basically as bad as password sharing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirecTVFanSince2016
Example-someone has 4 receivers and they are at 3 locations (their house, their sisters location and brothers loc) and they split the bill. So instead of 3 people paying say $125 a month its one charge of $125 and they split it 3 ways.
In this day and age of technology that should be a easy fix....Then again, they could of bilt in into some of their newer receivers so it would be impossible if they cant talk to each other.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirecTVFanSince2016
In this day and age of technology that should be an easy fix....Then again, they could have bilt in into some of their newer receivers so it would be impossible if they cant talk to each other.
I am thinking more during the time I put up my own Dish(s), did it at my first house when DirecTV first came out, then at my second house, first with DirecTV, then Dish.

With DirecTV back then, it would of been easy, Dish was doing that phone audit thing at the time.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: DirecTVFanSince2016
I will drop DIRCTV if I am ever forced to switch to the sever set up. I have a hr54 and 5 hr24's with 4 kids there is no way we will share play list. To many different type of shows that every one likes to record and the ones that multiple family member's like would defiantly lead to problems when some one deletes one that the other has not watched yet.
 
I will drop DIRCTV if I am ever forced to switch to the sever set up.
No one has been "forced" to switch to a Genie. Many people on this forum still have HR24's and older equipment, like you and especially KyL416. We likely won't be "forced" to get Genie until DirecTV decides to discontinue all legacy equipment, including the HR24's and older, and that likely won't happen for a long while or even not at all.
 
I will drop DIRCTV if I am ever forced to switch to the sever set up. I have a hr54 and 5 hr24's with 4 kids there is no way we will share play list. To many different type of shows that every one likes to record and the ones that multiple family member's like would defiantly lead to problems when some one deletes one that the other has not watched yet.
If you want more 4k, the HR-17 is the only one that will get more.