AUGUST 2, 2010, 4:38 P.M. ET CenturyLink Switches to DirecTV
By ROGER CHENG Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704271804575405642762818332.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews CenturyLink Inc. selected DirecTV Group Inc. as its satellite TV partner, displacing rival Dish Network Corp. The deal was effective Sunday, according to a DirecTV spokesman. A CenturyLink spokeswoman said DirecTV offered more features, including NFL Sunday Ticket and a whole-home digital video recorder. Dish declined to comment. DirecTV, which has locked up agreements with all of the major landline companies, has shifted from solely pursuing customer growth to improving the quality of its subscriber base. Dish, which has seen its growth accelerate in the last few quarters, continues to tap into lower-end customers through aggressive promotions. CenturyLink, which is working on closing its acquisition of Qwest Communications International Inc., was heading for a potential conflict if the change wasn't made. Qwest has been an ardent partner of DirecTV, and the companies have worked together to create a more integrated service. The transition promises to be smoother with CenturyLink switching to DirecTV. The talks with DirecTV began before the Qwest deal was struck, according to the CenturyLink spokeswoman. Dish's contract with CenturyLink expired on Saturday, but customers can continue to use the existing service. DirecTV will not directly target current Dish customers in CenturyLink's territory. A satellite TV option is necessary for telecommunications companies that lack their own television service since the cable companies can offer a "triple play" of phone, Internet and TV services at a discounted bundled rate. -- ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 Mail: antunes at uh dot edu _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
