DIRECTV Stops Offering Satellite TV Plans In Test Markets

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

DIRECTV is testing removing the option to subscribe to its satellite TV service in select markets, another sign that the company is shifting its focus to streaming.

The test, which was first reported by Cord Cutter News and confirmed by Variety, only permits new subscribers to sign up for DIRECTV’s streaming service. When a new customer tries to subscribe to satellite in the test markets, the DIRECTV web site displays this message:

“DIRECTV Satellite is not currently available in all areas. Check your service address by entering the ZIP code of the address where you want DIRECTV service. Want the same package without the satellite? Switch to DIRECTV Streaming now by selecting that option.”

Variety reports that a DIRECTV spokesperson says the test is not necessarily a permanent policy and that it’s designed to increase awareness of the company’s streaming plans. The spokesperson would not divulge the markets where the test is occurring. As Cord Cutter News notes, the odds are good that the test markets are in highly populated areas where high-speed streaming is readily available rather than rural areas where it’s not.

DIRECTV has been the leading provider of satellite TV since its launch in 1994. However, the company has lost at least 14 million subscribers over the last decade with most of them being satellite customers. The satellite audience has shrunk due to the emergence of less expensive streaming services.

Dish, the second leading satellite TV provider, has also experienced subscriber losses in the millions but the company recently doubled down on the satellite business by ordering a new satellite launch and chastising DIRECTV for shifting its focus from satellite to streaming.

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