The DIRECTV-Dish Sale: Will It Improve Service For DIRECTV Subscribers?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.

TV Answer Man, I’m happy to hear AT&T is selling out of DIRECTV after ruining it. But in the end, will this merger be better for me, the 20-year subscriber who is ready to cut my relationship with them? — Stefan, Houston. 

Stefan, AT&T, which originally purchased DIRECTV in 2015, today announced that it was selling its remaining 70 percent in the company to the private equity firm, TPG, which previously purchased 30 percent back in 2021. That means TPG will become the sole owner of DIRECTV when the deal is expected to close sometime in the second half of 2025.

And if that wasn’t enough for your Monday morning, DIRECTV revealed less than an hour later that it was buying Dish’s satellite TV service, and Sling TV. Federal regulators will have to approve the Dish/Sling sale and that could take a year. But will it change DIRECTV if the deal is approved? Will DIRECTV’s subscribers be better off with a DIRECTV-Dish combo company?

I say yes because DIRECTV would now have nearly 20 million subscribers if the deal was completed today. That would make it the largest multi-channel pay TV unit in the nation and that would give it significantly more leverage in carriage negotiations. With that new power, DIRECTV should be able to negotiate better terms and flexibility (see the Disney deal) that would enable it to offer slimmer, less expensive programming packages.

It remains to be seen how long DIRECTV will be able to wield that extra power. The satcaster has lost at least 14 million subscribers in the last nine years due to cord cutting (and AT&T mismanagement.) So it’s likely that its subscriber totals will continue to melt. But for at least a few more years, it should help the company better manage its resources and offerings.

Stefan, hope that helps. The TV Answer Man will answer more question about the DIRECTV-Dish deal today. If you have a question, send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.