TV cord-cutting is picking up steam, and AT&T’s CEO predicts there’s a long way to go before it stops. From a report: On an earnings call Thursday, AT&T Chief Executive Officer John Stankey said “we’re probably going to see a little bit of a plateauing” when the number of homes subscribing to pay TV hits 55 million to 60 million. Most…
Tag: DIRECTV
AT&T, Ready For Your $30 Billion DirecTV Haircut?
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: AT&T is once again looking to sell its DirecTV unit, a business that has lost billions of dollars in value since the wireless carrier acquired it in 2015. The sooner it waves goodbye, the better. The question is, who wants it? DirecTV has faded into the background at AT&T, a company now entirely…
Microsoft Is Interested In Acquiring Warner Bros. Gaming Unit
According to a new report from The Information, Microsoft is interested in bidding on Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which is currently a division of AT&T. From a report: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, or WB Games, is known for publishing the “Batman: Arkham” series, “Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor,” many “Lego” and “Harry Potter” games, “Mortal Kombat,” and “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.”…
AT&T’s Randall Stephenson To Retire As CEO
AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said he will retire at the end of June (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source), handing leadership of one of the world’s largest media and telecommunications companies to longtime deputy John Stankey. The Wall Street Journal reports: Mr. Stephenson, who turned 60 this week, has spent most of his 13 years as chairman and CEO piecing together…
AT&T TV Will Be a Tough Sell in a World of Endless Streaming TV Options
AT&T has launched its newest video service brand, called AT&T TV, and it could be the beginning of the end for AT&T’s DirecTV offering. From a report: That’s because AT&T TV is like DirectTV in many ways: It allows you to watch more than 100 live TV channels, but whereas DirecTV requires you to have a satellite dish, AT&T TV only…
A TV satellite is about to explode following ‘irreversible’ battery damage
A Boeing satellite is being hastily moved into “graveyard orbit” following a devastating “anomaly” that turned its batteries into bombs. Source: https://www.livescience.com/exploding-directv-satellite-graveyard-orbit.html
FCC Chairman Wants Public Auction To Repurpose Satellite Bands For 5G
Chairman Ajit Pai is pressing for a public auction of wireless frequencies in the C-band spectrum (the 4GHz to 8GHz range often used by satellite companies) for the sake of 5G service. Engadget reports: This would help the FCC clear up “significant” frequency space in a quick fashion, generate money for the government and “ensure continued delivery” of existing services, Pai…
AT&T Explores Parting Ways With DirecTV
According to The Wall Street Journal, AT&T is exploring parting with its DirecTV unit as customers are leaving the service in droves. From the report: The telecom giant has considered various options, including a spinoff of DirecTV into a separate public company and a combination of DirecTV’s assets with Dish Network, its satellite-TV rival, the people said. AT&T may ultimately decide…
AT&T Sued For Allegedly Inflating DirecTV Now Subscriber Numbers
A lawsuit seeking class action status says AT&T is inflating AT&T TV Now — previously known as DirecTV Now — subscriber numbers by creating fake users. From a report: It’s accusing the company’s management of carrying out the scheme in an effort to make the service look good in the eyes of investors even though it was struggling with serious technical…