What will happen to Directv going forward

[Claude Greiner]

Directv topped at 21.01 subscribers Q1 2017 and ended with 16.03 in q4 2019

Roughly a 5 million subscriber loss.

Dish had 14 million subscribers and now has 10 million q4 2019 which is a 4 million subscriber loss.

Even though Dish lost less subscribers than Directv as a percentage Dish lost more of their customer base.

I think both providers stand to loose another 5 million customers before the customer base stabilizes.

One thing to consider, Directv’s losses have more to do with promotional pricing and Directv’s refusal to issue aggressive discounts to keep customers like they did in the past.

Dish customers on the other hand are satisfied with the price but are not happy with the service, selection of programming and outdated hardware. Not everyone has or wants kangaroo technology in their homes.

 

[Claude Greiner]

i agree with you with what you said. i do remember t-mo screaming that dish will be getting sprints prepaid customers!!! to be honest i don't know how sprint has lasted this long as there network sucks and has degraded over the years as well...

Sprint is horrible here in Detroit, and AT&T is slightly better.

Verizon is the only way to go here!

But I hear in places like Chicago, sprint works good.

 

[EarDemon]

verizons whole home modem and router has an antenna that sits outside so it can pick the millimeter waves up. yes my phone goes in 4G lte mode inside. but verizons doing it right in my opinion!!! it's been rumoured that elon musks starlink service will have the capacity of 6G. rumours and speculation for now...

I'm guessing you have the newer version of Verizon's '5G' home solution, not the one they launched in October 2018 and discontinued in December 2018. Seems kinda hokey to have something stuck to a window that's facing the same direction of the macrocell and run a cord under said window. Plus it looks like you are forced into using their hardware which is a no go for me, along with CG-NAT. The speed is irrelevant if I can't configure my network the way I want it.

My favorite video so far on this joke of a technology is from Linus Tech Tips, where Linus is in NYC near VZW macrocell does a speed test and it's 800 Mbps, then he puts the phone to his chest, uses himself as a shield and gets 600 Mbps.

 

[lparsons21]

One thing to consider, Directv’s losses have more to do with promotional pricing and Directv’s refusal to issue aggressive discounts to keep customers like they did in the past.

There isn’t any refusal to issue aggressive discounts from DirecTV, they are still available and as usual over history they are hit or miss.

The only difference is they keep bragging that they don’t plan on doing that in order to keep trying to fly that ‘premium’ monicker. You know the old “low value customer” BS their marketing likes to float out there.

 

[Claude Greiner]

There isn’t any refusal to issue aggressive discounts from DirecTV, they are still available and as usual over history they are hit or miss.

The only difference is they keep bragging that they don’t plan on doing that in order to keep trying to fly that ‘premium’ monicker. You know the old “low value customer” BS their marketing likes to float out there.

All summer long I had to take calls from customers looking to switch to Comcast and spectrum over Directv’s refusal to discount their prices.

Yes discounts are there for some people, but the discounts are no where near where they where in the past.

When I first got Directv, I remember them calling me when my 1 year deal ended to extend it another year.

 

[larry55]

Troy Cable be installation fiber optics here next Thursday and we will still stay with direc tv . We getting 500 speed can’t to call centurylink and cancelled their internet been on 10 speed for ever

 

[NYDutch]

Directv topped at 21.01 subscribers Q1 2017 and ended with 16.03 in q4 2019

Roughly a 5 million subscriber loss.

Dish had 14 million subscribers and now has 10 million q4 2019 which is a 4 million subscriber loss.

Even though Dish lost less subscribers than Directv as a percentage Dish lost more of their customer base.

I think both providers stand to loose another 5 million customers before the customer base stabilizes.

One thing to consider, Directv’s losses have more to do with promotional pricing and Directv’s refusal to issue aggressive discounts to keep customers like they did in the past.

Dish customers on the other hand are satisfied with the price but are not happy with the service, selection of programming and outdated hardware. Not everyone has or wants kangaroo technology in their homes.

Let's try apples to apples this time:

Directv had 21.01 million subscribers in Q1 2017 and ended with 16.03 million in Q4 2019. A decrease of 4.98 million or 23.70%

Dish had 12.17 million subscribers in Q1 2017 and ended with 9.39 million in Q4 2019. A decrease of 2.78 million or 22.84%.

 

[Juan]

I agree that the future is wireless, but that doesn't mean they will up and quit everything else ...
They Bouhgt it, whats it been, 5 years ago now .... they felt it was a good move then ...

They would have to sell it cheap ...

This week its wireless...last week it was fiber...when 5g fizzles( and it will) something else will be the flavor of the week...whatever us easiest to install while making money...maybe they will find a use for all that copper wasting away

 

[Jimbo]

This week its wireless...last week it was fiber...when 5g fizzles( and it will) something else will be the flavor of the week...whatever us easiest to install while making money...maybe they will find a use for all that copper wasting away

Doubt it ...
They seem to do like you said, make something the next greatest thing and then abandon it ...

They can't seem to stick with Anything.

 

[Don in CT]

This week its wireless...last week it was fiber...when 5g fizzles( and it will) something else will be the flavor of the week...whatever us easiest to install while making money...maybe they will find a use for all that copper wasting away

Ideally we would all be on fiber but it's too expensive to build out.

 

[Jimbo]

Ideally we would all be on fiber but it's too expensive to build out.

And would take considerable time to build.

 

[Juan]

And would take considerable time to build.

Fiber keeps getting cheaper but its the maintenance costs that keep them wanting wireless

 

[comp9]

Fiber keeps getting cheaper but its the maintenance costs that keep them wanting wireless

Fiber itself may be getting cheaper. Building out a network is not. Labor is not getting cheaper

 

[Tampa8]

Internet needs to be classified as a utility and be subject to the same rules as POTS was. A POTS line is generally the same price in the middle of a city or in the middle of nowhere. Basic broadband access (as defined by the FCC, 25mbps) needs to be the same price in the middle of nowhere as it is in the middle of a city and available everywhere POTS is.

In the past companies had to be forced by the government to provide electricity and POTS to homes in the middle of nowhere, the same now needs to be applied to basic broadband access.

? With very few exceptions internet is available everywhere. Not only is there no need for even more Government regulations and mandates Courts will not make a Cable company spend millions to service 10 people as an example who choose to live miles and miles from the last service area because the Government now decides to change the rules. Those few exceptions I mentioned are those that have no way for line of sight for Satellite internet.
That can not be compared to pots when at that time there was no alternative first and second it was for access to emergency agencies. Same reason 911 has to be available on Voip and Cell services.

 

[Juan]

Fiber itself may be getting cheaper. Building out a network is not. Labor is not getting cheaper

Its all being automated

 

[mdram]

Its all being automated

how do you automate installing fiber?
has there been an advance in robotics no one is talking about?

 

[Juan]

how do you automate installing fiber?
has there been an advance in robotics no one is talking about?

There is alot more to it than putting fiber in the ground....that is the easy part...its all circuit building, engineering and mapping where the money is....and thats what us bein automated

 

[mdram]

There is alot more to it than putting fiber in the ground....that is the easy part...its all circuit building, engineering and mapping where the money is....and thats what us bein automated

doesnt do a thing unless the fiber is there. what percent of the us has fiber?

 

[Juan]

doesnt do a thing unless the fiber is there. what percent of the us has fiber?

The populated parts

 

[mdram]

The populated parts

last i read it was @ 25% for fiber