AT&T To Acquire DirecTV For $48.5 Billion -

LOS ANGELES (AP) — AT&T Inc. on Sunday agreed to buy satellite TV provider DirecTV for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share, a deal both companies described as transformational as they seek to take on cable companies and online video providers, delivering content to multiple screens —on living room TVs, PCs, tablets and mobile phones.

With 5.7 million U-verse TV customers and 20.3 million DirecTV customers in the U.S., the combined AT&T-DirecTV would serve 26 million. That would make it the second-largest pay TV operator behind a combined Comcast-Time Warner Cable, which would serve 30 million under a $45 billion merger proposed in February.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Personally I do not agree with mergers like that. Considering the size of US, there should be 10s if not 100s of big telecommunications providers competing with each other, yet there are only 4 (T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T), which is already incredibly small amount, making it near to impossible for any newcomers to get to the market. In the end, there is just less choice for consumers.

I do hope this deal will be blocked. There are talks about it, although nothing specific yet and the deal might still go through.

www.cbsnews.com...

a reply to: Cabin

I thought there were laws against monopolies....


It sure seems to me like 4 company's serving all of the US is getting pretty close...

I hate Directv. Their business practices border on fraud. I have my wireless service through AT&T and they've been pretty good, so I expect that they will offer pretty good sat TV service now too.

As far as monopolies go, I agree. We should have multiple choices when it comes to TV providers and I think that will start to happen as long as people are able to stream their TV content rather than get it from a sat or cable provider.

I cut the cable (sat tv) a while ago and have been much happier. People all over are doing this and going to streaming devices rather than pay premium prices for pretty much the same content. How long this will last is anyone's guess as I know the Supreme Court is going to make a decision regarding streaming pretty soon.

a reply to: lovebeck

I think you man need to rethink people streaming media. If we don't get this FCC stuff straightened out and get a truly free internet, the only company's able to stream content without it buffering every 2 seconds on 480p resolution will be the same people who provide the cable(sat) services. That is a very scary thought, but its what the FCC is trying to make happen. Only more of a reason to fight these people at every turn.

I'd personally rather have 3 or 4 REALLY good companies to choose from than dozens of marginal or terrible ones.

If the merger improves DirecTV's customer service and pricing, I'm all for it.

a reply to: Answer

The pattern for mergers(monopolies):
First year and new customers-great deals
Later-no deals and price increases. Add to this the fact that when you shop for something cheaper, there are no other choices.....the reason monopolies were out-lawed. Also don't forget that these big companies work in unison. They make agreements not to price too low.

Off subject but relevant...The Creature from Jekyll Island. 1913 -Top bankers conspired to create the federal reserve, basically a banking monopoly, and our choices financially were gone forever.

Tell me you are joking. DirecTV's customer service is about to jump into the crapper.

originally posted by: Answer
I'd personally rather have 3 or 4 REALLY good companies to choose from than dozens of marginal or terrible ones.



If the merger improves DirecTV's customer service and pricing, I'm all for it.

I have AT&T for internet it's the worst customer service I have ever seen. Good thing I don't have them for home phone ....

The next time one of these telcoms says Net Neutrality needs to go in order to create competition, I want you to keep this merger in mind.

They are acting in pure anti competitive mode. Do you really think Net Neutrality isn't also anti competitive if they support it?

originally posted by: andr3w68
a reply to: lovebeck

I think you man need to rethink people streaming media. If we don't get this FCC stuff straightened out and get a truly free internet, the only company's able to stream content without it buffering every 2 seconds on 480p resolution will be the same people who provide the cable(sat) services. That is a very scary thought, but its what the FCC is trying to make happen. Only more of a reason to fight these people at every turn.

I hope that doesn't happen. As of now, I have no trouble streaming. Our internet is pretty fast, and cheap. I really hope it stays that way. These TV companies have enough damn money, and power.

a reply to: lovebeck

Your internet is neither fast or cheap when compared to any other developed country in the world.

When a U.S. company owns all or nearly all of the market, it's another sign that America is becoming a 3rd world country!!! The future of AT&T is empty lots of abandon houses with satellite dishes on them!

However the upper class will have DirecTV!