Turner CEO John Martin yesterday said he doesn’t think DIRECTV is very good.
“I have DIRECTV. I live in Beverly Hills. It’s not that good. They have not innovated quickly enough,” Martin said during a panel discussion at the Code Media conference in Huntington Beach, California.
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Several news reports, including this one from The Hollywood Reporter, reported that Martin did not elaborate on why he is dissatisfied with the nation’s largest satellite TV service. Or why he believes DIRECTV has not ‘innovated quickly enough.’
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But it’s quite likely that his possible future employer will soon inquire as to why he is unhappy.
AT&T, which owns DIRECTV, has agreed to purchase Time Warner, which owns Turner. Yes, the same Turner whose CEO is John Martin.
The Justice Department rejected the AT&T-Time Warner merger, but AT&T is fighting in court to make the deal official. (The case goes to trial next month.). If the merger is ultimately approved, Martin’s comments about AT&T’s top TV service could make it a bit uncomfortable for him in future company meetings.
However, just so AT&T doesn’t think he has issues with everything it does, or owns, Martin yesterday defended the merger, calling the government “clueless” for rejecting the deal.
Sounds like he won’t be applying for work in Washington anytime soon, either.
— Phillip Swann
