Potential changes in AT&T's ownership of DirecTV

[KyL416]

Even with 10 people or a private office, Sunday Ticket is $1000

 

[Stuart Sweet]

You’re talking about two different things. There’s absolutely no problem with having a box with the Genie UI on a commercial account. We’ve been doing it with the H44 for about 18 months.

When it comes to commercial accounts, HR24 DVRs are allowed in accounts intended for use in private areas. We used to allow HR54s that had the recording capability turned off, so you could hang a C61K off it. Genie 2s don’t have software for commercial use.

The issue is copyright and always has been. It’s literally illegal to record something and play it back in a public area without paying royalties. The amount of effort it would take to track and collect royalties just isn’t worth it.

 

[DS0816]

There is only one company I know that would want to buy it... and that company does not have the money to do it right now.

AT&T Killed DIRECTV. The day they took over is the day that innovation stopped, and then they ran it into the ground.

No one wants to subscribe to the DIRECTV satellite service, I am hearing from a bunch of DIRECTV dealers that they can't give it away. To make matters worse DIRECTV is threatening dealers that if they don't make sales they will be terminated from selling DIRECTV as of this coming December 31st.... losing all their residuals they have earned for prior sales.

I will say it again AT&T killed DIRECTV.

I will add to this comment the realigning changes concerning how people specifically use and watch television … along with—and people don’t tend to want to get into this—the economic positions of people who are making tough decisions (part of the overall reasons for continuous subscription declines) for television subscriptions.

 

[slice1900]

I will add to this comment the realigning changes concerning how people specifically use and watch television … along with—and people don’t tend to want to get into this—the economic positions of people who are making tough decisions (part of the overall reasons for continuous subscription declines) for television subscriptions.

I don't think it is so much people making "tough decisions", i.e. their personal finances are so stretched they have no choice but to cut out TV. There were a lot more people with financial issues in 2009/2010 after the housing bubble burst and unemployment spiked to 10%, but there was no rush to cord cutting then.

The people cutting the cord are making an EASY decision. As in "I can save $50 a month switching from Directv to Sling TV (or whatever)" or "I don't watch sports, so paying for traditional TV is stupid when I can get everything I watch with Paramount+, Peacock, and one or two others".

The networks are making it worse on themselves by creating "streaming exclusive" stuff, like what Disney and AMC have done, and now big time sports on Peacock that aren't on NBC including Ohio State and Notre Dame games. That's just going to accelerate the rate of cord cutting because at least the argument before was that if you have cable/satellite TV you can watch everything those networks offer, but that's no longer true.

 

[Bruce]

I don't think it is so much people making "tough decisions", i.e. their personal finances are so stretched they have no choice but to cut out TV. There were a lot more people with financial issues in 2009/2010 after the housing bubble burst and unemployment spiked to 10%, but there was no rush to cord cutting then.

You are correct, this chart shows the rate of losses, started during when the economy was considered quite good-

Number of pay TV households in the U.S. 2028 | Statista

The number of traditional U.S. pay-TV households, including cable subscribers, was 58 million in 2023. A forecast suggests a drop to 41 million by 2028.

www.statista.com

The main problem Paid Live TV has is the younger people are no longer replacing the older people dying off as subscribers.

For example, my kids are 33 and 28, both were raised with paid Live TV, but they were also raised with the internet, neither has ever had Paid Live TV in their homes, do not even think about it, happy with their streaming services, both have 85” TVs.

Now go a tad younger then my kids, where they were/are basically given a device when very young to keep them entertained, that device has nothing to do with Live TV.

 

[slice1900]

You are correct, this chart shows the rate of losses, started during when the economy was considered quite good-

Number of pay TV households in the U.S. 2028 | Statista

The number of traditional U.S. pay-TV households, including cable subscribers, was 58 million in 2023. A forecast suggests a drop to 41 million by 2028.

www.statista.com

The main problem Paid Live TV has is the younger people are no longer replacing the older people dying off as subscribers.

For example, my kids are 33 and 28, both were raised with paid Live TV, but they were also raised with the internet, neither has ever had Paid Live TV in their homes, do not even think about it, happy with their streaming services, both have 85” TVs.

Now go a tad younger then my kids, where they were/are basically given a device when very young to keep them entertained, that device has nothing to do with Live TV.

True but the numbers leaving cable/satellite linear TV is a lot higher than the numbers of people dying. There are a lot of people who have had it for years who are deciding they don't need it anymore.

Unless you are a sports fan, or are so addicted to 24x7 cable news and your preferred network isn't streamed, I don't understand why you would still pay for linear TV. It provides nothing you can't get via multiple streaming subscriptions other than convenience of having everything delivered in a single interface.

 

[iTurbo6]

True but the numbers leaving cable/satellite linear TV is a lot higher than the numbers of people dying. There are a lot of people who have had it for years who are deciding they don't need it anymore.

Unless you are a sports fan, or are so addicted to 24x7 cable news and your preferred network isn't streamed, I don't understand why you would still pay for linear TV. It provides nothing you can't get via multiple streaming subscriptions other than convenience of having everything delivered in a single interface.

lakers in 4k - getting most of the games in 4k is the killer feature for me. spectrum sportsnet forces me to have pay tv with only a couple of choices and directv is the only one of those choices that has the games in 4k.

 

[John2021]

True but the numbers leaving cable/satellite linear TV is a lot higher than the numbers of people dying. There are a lot of people who have had it for years who are deciding they don't need it anymore.

Unless you are a sports fan, or are so addicted to 24x7 cable news and your preferred network isn't streamed, I don't understand why you would still pay for linear TV. It provides nothing you can't get via multiple streaming subscriptions other than convenience of having everything delivered in a single interface.

Add up all of those streaming services and they might come up as the same cost as a cable or sat package to!!! I'm one that's not gonna fumble around with different apps to see what's on where. Noting like grabbing a cold one when you get home and pulling up the guide!!!

 

[Jimbo]

True but the numbers leaving cable/satellite linear TV is a lot higher than the numbers of people dying. There are a lot of people who have had it for years who are deciding they don't need it anymore.

Unless you are a sports fan, or are so addicted to 24x7 cable news and your preferred network isn't streamed, I don't understand why you would still pay for linear TV. It provides nothing you can't get via multiple streaming subscriptions other than convenience of having everything delivered in a single interface.

Your last line is HUGE to many people that are not into "Change" .... older people in general.

 

[Jimbo]

Add up all of those streaming services and they might come up as the same cost as a cable or sat package to!!! I'm one that's not gonna fumble around with different apps to see what's on where. Noting like grabbing a cold one when you get home and pulling up the guide!!!

Unfortunately I can only give 1 emoji for this post, it requires MANY ...