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DirecTV might merge with Dish by Monday

vchimpanzee said:
For people outside areas served by cable, doesn't this mean a monopoly? And what happens when there is a dispute causing channels to be taken off? Now you can't switch to the other?
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Both services have lost a huge number of subscribers in recent years. There may simply no longer be enough room for two satellite service providers, regardless of concerns about "competition" or "monopoly". Satellite radio found this out.

Insisting on two services will likely mean one of them goes bankrupt and ceases operations. Then you still get only one player.

Similar situation in the cell phone arena when Sprint was bought out by T-Mobile. People complained about "less competition" while ignoring the fact that Sprint was a hot mess heading into bankruptcy.
 
vchimpanzee said:
For people outside areas served by cable, doesn't this mean a monopoly?
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Yes, but this is akin to the Sirius and XM merger, where the alternative was for one or the other to go dark anyway, which would have created a de facto monopoly anyway.

vchimpanzee said:
And what happens when there is a dispute causing channels to be taken off? Now you can't switch to the other?
Click to expand...

The same applies to people on cable whose location does not have a clear line-of-sight path to the satellites. It becomes an "oh well" situation.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Similar situation in the cell phone arena when Sprint was bought out by T-Mobile. People complained about "less competition" while ignoring the fact that Sprint was a hot mess heading into bankruptcy.
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News flash: Sprint was a hot mess as far back as its founding. (Speaking from experience as an early customer.)
 
vchimpanzee said:
For people outside areas served by cable, doesn't this mean a monopoly? And what happens when there is a dispute causing channels to be taken off? Now you can't switch to the other?
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Fortunately (assuming they have high speed internet service) they can sign up for things like Hulu Live, YouTube TV, even Sling TV
 
Weiserguy said:
No, some people use cable because subscribing to a satellite provider isn't an option, because a particular location lacks a clear line-of-sight to the relevant satellite(s).

BTW, yes, cable systems use satellites to acquire many/most of the channels they distribute. Those signals don't arrive via the tooth fairy.
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A lot of it now is through fiber with satellite as a backup.
 
Larry said:
Fortunately (assuming they have high speed internet service) they can sign up for things like Hulu Live, YouTube TV, even Sling TV
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Dishes are the only option in areas outside the areas served by cable, so is that also where they get their Internet?
 
Don CT said:
A lot of it now is through fiber with satellite as a backup.
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And many cable systems’ lineups are aggregated at a central control center that could be hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. The entire package is then sent back to the relevant market by fiber for local distribution.
 
Larry said:
Fortunately (assuming they have high speed internet service) they can sign up for things like Hulu Live, YouTube TV, even Sling TV
Click to expand...

vchimpanzee said:
Dishes are the only option in areas outside the areas served by cable, so is that also where they get their Internet?
Click to expand...

I was going to point that out, and my previous comment about line-of-sight to the satellites then applies.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
And many cable systems’ lineups are aggregated at a central control center that could be hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. The entire package is then sent back to the relevant market by fiber for local distribution.
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Back in the dark ages, I seem to recall the broadcast networks sent out their programming by "coaxial cable". I also have this memory of relay towers, and there was a major secret facility in my county which supposedly had something to do with that.
 
vchimpanzee said:
Back in the dark ages, I seem to recall the broadcast networks sent out their programming by "coaxial cable". I also have this memory of relay towers, and there was a major secret facility in my county which supposedly had something to do with that.
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I have a map here somewhere that showed the combination of microwave relays and coaxial interconnects in the early 1950s, so you are correct.
 
vchimpanzee said:
Back in the dark ages, I seem to recall the broadcast networks sent out their programming by "coaxial cable". I also have this memory of relay towers, and there was a major secret facility in my county which supposedly had something to do with that.
Click to expand...
Think in the late 70s/early 80s when the sats took over for network TV distribution. I remember NBC had Friday Night Videos, it was simulcasted on an FM station. The local station in our area was getting NBC via coaxial while the radio got it via satellite, resulting in a delay between the 2.
 
I just hope TPG will keep the current bundled services. I don’t want to unbundle my communication services.
 
salemjedi54 said:
I just hope TPG will keep the current bundled services. I don’t want to unbundle my communication services.
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This is about bundled groups of channels on a video service, not bundled services like cable/web/landline from a service provider.

What we are discussing is where you have to pay, for example, for the "whole" Disney set of channels, whether you use them or not. I use this example because I have to pay about $20 a month for my cable service for the sports channels I never ever use. That will be the main reason why, in upcoming decisions about entertainment services, cable will be the first to go. Second, for similar reasons, will be the Disney on-demand service.
 
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