Let's assume a new customer signs up under the current deal and is receiving a $36 per month programming credit. This customer then decides to suspend the account for 4 months during the initial 12 months of service. The programming commitment extends an amount of time equal to the suspension period, but the $36 per month credit is not extended beyond the initial 12 month calendar period.
So in effect the customer maintains the same 24 month billing commitment, but only receives a total of 8 months of credits instead of 12. For example, you are a new Directv customer and wish to establish service at your vacation home, you will receive credits for the months activated during the initial 12 months only.
The same applies to customers not under a commitment who are currently receiving a monthly discount for a specified number of months. You will receive the discount while activated during the specified time frame. Therefore, discounts are not tied to actual billing periods of service, but rather to a specific number of calendar months such as 6 or 12.