Times Up, Told You So, DirecTV is Dead

[timmac]

AT&T is reportedly trying to sell DirecTV to private-equity investors just five years after buying the satellite provider. The negotiations with potential buyers come after millions of customers ditched DirecTV over the past two years, and could value DirecTV at much less than the $49 billion AT&T paid for it.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/08/att-reportedly-trying-to-sell-directv-after-massive-cust...

Millions cutting the cord, would not buy that expensive satellite dish..

:B

[Dutch_12078]

To answer a couple of Starlink questions in this thread, SpaceX is currently testing the early equipment versions for the new Starship that will be capable of launching up to 400 Starlink sats at once, as well be the basis for future moon and Mars travel. Below is a look at an initial user terminal. The dish is self aligning and about the size of a large pizza box. The installation instructions are: "Aim it at the sky. Plug it in. In either order."

[Atlee]

Where I live, Hanover Co., VA, Comcast is the only game in town. I can either get bundled cable, voice (wife wants this), and internet. If I dropped cable, the price quoted me didn't go down very much. By the time I added You Tube TV, or something similar, I was pretty much back at the old price I was paying.

wa8yxm wrote:
AT&T had a grand plan to control ALL communications.. Basically Rebuild the old BELL TELEPONE and then some (Been their plan all along) The problem with DirecTV (And Dish) is Roku, apple TV -etal

You get decent unlmited Internet bandwidth you don't need the sat dish and monthly sat bill.. You got it all.

Me.. Depending on where I'm parked. and it appears I'm about to settle in the land of "Fairly decent coverage" I have so much OVER THE AIR TV that my DVR's overload and I have to off load 'em to long term storage.

(I have two DVR's and a compter all networked. the computer downloads the Program guide, modifies it for upload to the DVR's. which do all the DVR things (LIke record any program with NCIS in the name) and I can download to the comptuer and transfer to any portable device if I wish. They also let me start watching in one room. Finish in the other and so on. Like I said all the fancy pause fast forward rewind stuff too. Only instead of 100/month is't 25/year for the electronin TV Guide.. that's all folks.

[TechWriter]

chuckbear wrote:
And MTV was going to kill the radio. How did that work out? Chuck

This "media replacement" argument goes way back . . .

Some thought that TV would replace radio. That didn't happen, but TV did change radio. For example, radio shows used to be national shows. After TV, radio went to formats or specialty programming because it was cheaper as the money went to TV.

A similar thing might happen with sat TV. But all those Dish/DirecTV sats aren't going to be switched off.

[CFerguson]

I think billy is still hacked off that horseless carriages succeeded.:B

[timmac]

chuckbear wrote:
And MTV was going to kill the radio. How did that work out? Chuck

MTV was never going to kill radio, radio will still be around long after traditional satellite/cable TV will be..

[chuckbear]

And MTV was going to kill the radio. How did that work out? Chuck

[timmac]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Elon's internet is inevitable so there is no need for me to want it or not. However, it's not the magic bullet that will suddenly fix all the issues with Internet service Worldwide (or even Country wide).

But it is the magic bullet that will bring the end to DirecTV and Dish, once the rural folks and RVers on the road have access to internet and what few customers there will be left the satellite companies will be forced to shutter their doors.

Hence why AT&T is trying to find someone with money to buy out DirecTV.

If I was a billion dollar investor I would not even take a satellite TV company even if it was free..

Like I have said satellite TV is a dead horse rotting away behind the barn that has not been buried yet..

[Bill_Satellite]

Put all the satellites in the sky you like. Without the ground stations, infrastructure, personnel and compatible equipment (equipment costs, antenna size?) you still have a long hill to climb.

[CFerguson]

Oops! Yet again i have found myself behind Elon and his plans. There are an additional 120 (~) Starlink satellites scheduled to launch THIS MONTH.
https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ (you'll have to scroll a bit to see all the planned launches)
hint: 120 + ~650 is getting pretty close to that magic 1000 number that Starlink's head said is the breakover point..... :B

Hate the future of the Internet all you want, but its going to come anyway.

[Bill_Satellite]

Elon's internet is inevitable so there is no need for me to want it or not. However, it's not the magic bullet that will suddenly fix all the issues with Internet service Worldwide (or even Country wide).

[CFerguson]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Let me know if you need a reality check! Billions of dollars in satellites and on-going infrastructure costs all being sold to only those who don't already have good service (maybe 20%, max). Pie in the sky is one thing and I don't need any help with that math!

Sorry to confuse you again, but i underestimated the # of sattellites ALREADY up there. Its more like in the 650 range. Here's a source: https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starlink-space-lasers-first-orbital-test/ .
Again, be glad to help with the updated math. :B

[timmac]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Let me know if you need a reality check! Billions of dollars in satellites and on-going infrastructure costs all being sold to only those who don't already have good service (maybe 20%, max). Pie in the sky is one thing and I don't need any help with that math!

That's why satellite TV is losing millions, the 80 percent that have internet has cancel satellite/cable TV service and the remainder 20 percent are moving towards any internet service they can find..

Elon's satellite internet service will get the 20 percent signed up and this is why AT&T is selling off DirecTV fast before it goes bankrupt..

[timmac]

CFerguson wrote:

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Beta testing will begin in Canada and the Northern US only. Still years away from full US / World coverage. Lots of ground stations still need to be built as well. You have to ask who the customer will be. Much of the US has good fiber (or similar) coverage. Satellite internet will not be better. So the market is only the under served in the US and other Nations.

Recheck how fast SpaceX puts satellites into orbit and specifically how many he CAN put up. 1000 isnt very many launches away from 600 at almost 60 a pop. (Elon has further stated that 2 launches a month is 'meh' and they can do much better.) Lemme know if you need help with the math.:B

Bill doesn't want Elon's internet up soon, it will prove me right..

[Bill_Satellite]

Let me know if you need a reality check! Billions of dollars in satellites and on-going infrastructure costs all being sold to only those who don't already have good service (maybe 20%, max). Pie in the sky is one thing and I don't need any help with that math!

[CFerguson]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Beta testing will begin in Canada and the Northern US only. Still years away from full US / World coverage. Lots of ground stations still need to be built as well. You have to ask who the customer will be. Much of the US has good fiber (or similar) coverage. Satellite internet will not be better. So the market is only the under served in the US and other Nations.

Recheck how fast SpaceX puts satellites into orbit and specifically how many he CAN put up. 1000 isnt very many launches away from 600 at almost 60 a pop. (Elon has further stated that 2 launches a month is 'meh' and they can do much better.) Lemme know if you need help with the math.:B