AT&T Should sell DIRECTV to DISH

[NashGuy]

That would make sense for those AT&T broadband customers. The new service would have to be built very differently from DNow, which is apparently using Akamai for CDN.

It might be just as simple as switching out Akamai for their own AT&T Content Delivery Network. (One wonders, though, why they're even using Akamai in the first place since they seem to have an in-house competitor to it.)

AT&T Content Delivery Network (CDN) Services

 

[ncted]

It might be just as simple as switching out Akamai for their own AT&T Content Delivery Network. (One wonders, though, why they're even using Akamai in the first place since they seem to have an in-house competitor to it.)

AT&T Content Delivery Network (CDN) Services

My understanding is Akamai's is way better for building new live OTT streaming services.

 

[NYDutch]

It might be just as simple as switching out Akamai for their own AT&T Content Delivery Network. (One wonders, though, why they're even using Akamai in the first place since they seem to have an in-house competitor to it.)

AT&T Content Delivery Network (CDN) Services

When I was researching CDN's a few years ago for a client, I was surprised at how many, including some big names, were basically just selling rebranded Akamai services.

 

[NashGuy]

When I was researching CDN's a few years ago for a client, I was surprised at how many, including some big names, were basically just selling rebranded Akamai services.

Interesting. Well, that could be the case here. I know that Akamai is definitely a leader. I wondered if perhaps Quickplay, an IP video distribution tech firm that AT&T acquired back in 2016 might have had CDN operations that were rebranded as AT&T CDN Services. Maybe not but I would bet that in some way Quickplay technology helped form the basis of the cloud-based streaming platform that now powers DirecTV Now and will also power the forthcoming AT&T TV.

Quickplay Media - Wikipedia

 

[NYDutch]

Interesting. Well, that could be the case here. I know that Akamai is definitely a leader. I wondered if perhaps Quickplay, an IP video distribution tech firm that AT&T acquired back in 2016 might have had CDN operations that were rebranded as AT&T CDN Services. Maybe not but I would bet that in some way Quickplay technology helped form the basis of the cloud-based streaming platform that now powers DirecTV Now and will also power the forthcoming AT&T TV.

Quickplay Media - Wikipedia

From reading your link, it looks like Quickplay is likely running their own show and that might well include AT&T's CDN offerings.

 

[ncted]

When I was researching CDN's a few years ago for a client, I was surprised at how many, including some big names, were basically just selling rebranded Akamai services.

When I was still in the media biz, we tried a number of different offerings. There were a few who weren't reselling Akamai, like Level3, but none had the feature set or deep cache performance that Akamai (and their resold service) did. It would take a huge investment to match them at this point for a large implementation.

 

[Jimbo]

How about apartments and condos with windows facing the wrong direction...

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

Thats part of the 10-15%

 

[Jimbo]

Put simply, broadcast is still cheaper than unicast. AT&T and others want to go streaming because it is all OPEX instead of CAPEX, which Wall Street currently likes. The thing is, as you lose customers, it becomes less cost effective to do satellite delivery. This is happening at the same time streaming costs slowly come down. Eventually I expect streaming delivery to actually cost less than Satellite.

A couple of years old and not specific to Dish/DirecTV:

Going over the top: streaming vs satellite

Where Does the Future of Satellite TV fit into the Future of Television?

The Future of Satellite TV: Why is it Still Viable?
First off, it’s worth pointing out that space remains expensive. In 2008, NASA estimated that it cost $10,000 to put a pound of payload in Earth orbit, and stated a goal to reduce that cost to hundreds of dollars per pound within 25 years and tens of dollars per pound within 40 years. According to its latest prices, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has already got that figure down to $1,529;that’s still $90 million per launch of an expandable Falcon Heavy rocket. Add in satellite build costs, and you don’t see much change from $300 million per satellite.

However, once they are on station they can cover an enormous area. Astra 3B, for example, at orbital position 23.5º E, was launched in May 2010 and has 64 transponders, carries 243 channels (132SD, 110 HD and 1 UHD), and reaches 35 million households, including 3.5 million satellite homes across MENA, Europe, Russia and the CIS.

Cost Effective
That makes satellite a remarkably cost-effective way to reach large numbers of people. This is especially true in emerging markets and large territories with dispersed populations, where the cost per home of deploying broadband and DTT technologies can rise quite significantly as population density falls outside of urban areas. It’s an extreme example perhaps, but the rich markets of Australia are distributed at a rate of 3 people per square kilometer, an audience almost tailor-made for satellite.
If you do the math, it just isn't...not yet anyway.

If Streaming cost continue to go down, why do thier cost to the customer keep going UP ?

 

[ncted]

If Streaming cost continue to go down, why do thier cost to the customer keep going UP ?

Well, currently the streaming services are making little or no money, or even losing money while content costs continue to rise, just like cable and satellite. They probably have to raise prices a bit to keep their loses to a minimum or try to break even.

 

[Jimbo]

Well, currently the streaming services are making little or no money, or even losing money while content costs continue to rise, just like cable and satellite. They probably have to raise prices a bit to keep their loses to a minimum or try to break even.

Of course, when they decide they have given the farm away long enough to get subs, they will all start raising prices, which takes the $35 offer that was where most started, up to 50-60 and up, don't forget they charge for more DVR ability as well.

So, real soon, that nice and cheap idea of streaming, cost just about the same as it was for the D* package ...
Also, don't forget, your Internet provider will want more money, mine has already raised prices and again another $10 this past month for some BS reason that they make sound convoluted enough that you don't know what they said and they don't know what they are talking about when they explain it. Just a way to charge more.

 

[NashGuy]

Of course, when they decide they have given the farm away long enough to get subs, they will all start raising prices, which takes the $35 offer that was where most started, up to 50-60 and up, don't forget they charge for more DVR ability as well.

So, real soon, that nice and cheap idea of streaming, cost just about the same as it was for the D* package ...
Also, don't forget, your Internet provider will want more money, mine has already raised prices and again another $10 this past month for some BS reason that they make sound convoluted enough that you don't know what they said and they don't know what they are talking about when they explain it. Just a way to charge more.

Yeah, I think you're about to see AT&T just cut to the chase and go where you say it's going (although it'll still be less than they charge for the same channel packages on DTV satellite).

"We're done trying to sell big cable packages via streaming at a loss to gain subscribers. We did that for awhile with DirecTV Now (mainly so those subscribers could pay US to be our beta tester/guinea pigs for our next-gen streaming platform). But now we're ready to roll this thing out as our main platform. We've renegotiated our carriage contracts and we've been able to get better rates. We've also gotten permission to thin out our standard packages so that they focus on the main channels that people actually want, with all the niche channels relegated to add-on Extra packs. It's $50 for the standard package or $70 for the upgrade with RSNs and a few more channels. Serves any two screens at the same time. Everything includes HBO and our upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service. Want to upgrade from 20 hours to 120 hours of cloud DVR? That'll add another $10. But if you bundle this with AT&T home broadband or wireless phone service, you'll get $10 off your total bill every month."

Will it be an earth-shattering bargain? No. But it'll be a competitive deal and one that is sustainable for AT&T to offer for several years.

 

[Jimbo]

Yeah, I think you're about to see AT&T just cut to the chase and go where you say it's going (although it'll still be less than they charge for the same channel packages on DTV satellite).

"We're done trying to sell big cable packages via streaming at a loss to gain subscribers. We did that for awhile with DirecTV Now (mainly so those subscribers could pay US to be our beta tester/guinea pigs for our next-gen streaming platform). But now we're ready to roll this thing out as our main platform. We've renegotiated our carriage contracts and we've been able to get better rates. We've also gotten permission to thin out our standard packages so that they focus on the main channels that people actually want, with all the niche channels relegated to add-on Extra packs. It's $50 for the standard package or $70 for the upgrade with RSNs and a few more channels. Serves any two screens at the same time. Everything includes HBO and our upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service. Want to upgrade from 20 hours to 120 hours of cloud DVR? That'll add another $10. But if you bundle this with AT&T home broadband or wireless phone service, you'll get $10 off your total bill every month."

Will it be an earth-shattering bargain? No. But it'll be a competitive deal and one that is sustainable for AT&T to offer for several years.

Only 2 tvs ?
Does it have to be used only on one network ?
Can I have it at home and then when I go over to my Parents, can I log in on thier network and watch D* ?
Were talking streaming here, so thats no different than any other streaming service ... many of us have our Netflix used at more than one location.

 

[NashGuy]

Only 2 tvs ?
Does it have to be used only on one network ?
Can I have it at home and then when I go over to my Parents, can I log in on thier network and watch D* ?
Were talking streaming here, so thats no different than any other streaming service ... many of us have our Netflix used at more than one location.

My expectation is that, in this regard, it will work the same way that DTV Now works today. You'll get the full service -- live channels, VOD, cloud DVR -- on any screen, in home or away (as long as you're in the USA), whether connected via wifi or cellular. (OK, there may be a few live sports events that get blacked out if you're connected via cellular due to contractual reasons.) If you have this service added to your AT&T Fiber or AT&T Internet home broadband service, your data cap will be eliminated. If you're streaming this service over an AT&T Wireless cellular connection, the data you use won't count against your plan.

Yes, you will be able to log in and watch this service when connected to your parents' wifi (regardless of who their home broadband provider is). Although I suppose it's possible that if AT&T sees your account regularly being logged into from their wifi AND your parents are on AT&T Fiber/Internet but don't subscribe to AT&T TV, then maybe they'd figure out that your two households are sharing an account. So that could be a problem for you if that's what you plan to do. (Or maybe not. Netflix seems to be cool with folks sharing accounts.)

Like with DTV Now, AT&T TV (which will really just be an improved and rebranded version of DTV Now) will allow any two screens to simultaneously stream the service. If you need more simultaneous streams, the charge will probably be an extra $5 per month per stream.

 

[Jimbo]

Streaming does nothing for the RV'er ...
Cottage/Vacation home ... unless you have internet there (with high enough speeds)

 

[NashGuy]

Streaming does nothing for the RV'er ...
Cottage/Vacation home ... unless you have internet there (with high enough speeds)

Yes, that's true. Not sure what to say to that other than "You can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time." In the grand scheme of US consumers, those who watch cable TV channels in RVs and vacation cottages without internet access are what I would call "edge cases". No disrespect intended.

 

[Jimbo]

Yes, that's true. Not sure what to say to that other than "You can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time." In the grand scheme of US consumers, those who watch cable TV channels in RVs and vacation cottages without internet access are what I would call "edge cases". No disrespect intended.

Parents travel in Motorhome, use a D* dish set up ...rarely ever have internet.

 

[NYDutch]

Streaming does nothing for the RV'er ...
Cottage/Vacation home ... unless you have internet there (with high enough speeds)

As fulltime RV'ers, we stream almost exclusively when we're in travel mode between destinations. Where we used to set up our portable dish daily even for one night stops, now we just stream for those short stops, setting up the dish only when we'll be parked for at least a few days or weeks. With unlimited data plans on both AT&T and Verizon plus a Max Amp RV cell signal amplifier/repeater, we haven't landed any place yet that we didn't have a streamable signal on one carrier or the other. I think we're slowly but surely getting closer to cutting the satellite TV cord and going to streaming only.

 

[Jimbo]

As fulltime RV'ers, we stream almost exclusively when we're in travel mode between destinations. Where we used to set up our portable dish daily even for one night stops, now we just stream for those short stops, setting up the dish only when we'll be parked for at least a few days or weeks. With unlimited data plans on both AT&T and Verizon plus a Max Amp RV cell signal amplifier/repeater, we haven't landed any place yet that we didn't have a streamable signal on one carrier or the other. I think we're slowly but surely getting closer to cutting the satellite TV cord and going to streaming only.

So your using strictly Cell service ?

 

[NYDutch]

So your using strictly Cell service ?

We use strictly cell service in our motorhome since RV park WiFi is seldom worth using. Our upstate NY family cottage has Spectrum's 30/5 plan that we use to monitor conditions at the cottage and for streaming the H2 installed there for DishAnywhere. We're parked on our site at the cottage right now, but we're still using our AT&T and Verizon hotspots.

 

[ncted]

Regarding the so-called broadband maps:

FCC wants to fix maps that now overstate broadband coverage