DirecTV Archives » FilmTake

AT&T Loses Over $50 Billion on Half-Baked Content Distribution Ambitions

September 27, 2021 FilmTake Comments Off

After losing over $50 billion on a series of failed forays into content production and distribution, AT&T was forced to start selling stakes in its recently acquired media assets or risk weakening its monopolistic grip on telecom and internet delivery.

AT&T’s Great Media Escape Takes Shape After DirecTV and WarnerMedia Selloffs

September 5, 2021 FilmTake Comments Off

AT&T’s decision to acquire a declining DirecTV in 2015 and a bloated WarnerMedia in 2018 were massive miscalculations. Desperate to pay down its debt, in March 2021, AT&T announced it would sell a 30% stake in DirecTV.

Too Big To Fail

September 8, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

AT&T is desperate to sell some or all of DirecTV to pay down its $180 billion mountain of debt. According to inside sources, the satellite service is being offered at a $20 billion valuation, marking a $29 billion loss since 2015.

Yet Another AT&T Video Service

March 4, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

AT&T released its answer to subscriber losses with an all-new set-top service called AT&T TV, not to be confused with a plethora of other options. The basic package includes 100 channels.

Cord-Cutting Gains Momentum

February 11, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

In the fourth quarter, two million US subscribers cut the cord on traditional television packages from AT&T, Comcast, Charter, and Verizon, up from 1.7 million in the third quarter.

New Details Emerge About HBO Max

November 5, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

AT&T’s WarnerMedia released details about its forthcoming streaming service HBO Max, which will officially launch in May 2020. The service will cost $14.99 a month, the same cost as HBO’s flagship service.

Lionsgate Considers Separation

October 11, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

Lionsgate is said to be in talks to split its film and television production business from its recently acquired premium-channel Starz into separate companies.

Cord Cutting Continues

July 28, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

During the second quarter, DirecTV’s traditional satellite service lost 778,000 subscribers and its streaming service DirecTV Now lost 168,000 accounts.

Cord Cutting Accelerates

April 16, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

There is even more bad news for pay television providers. Unlike 2017, subscribers signing up for cheaper online television bundles are starting to contract.

Buyer’s Remorse

March 20, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

Beyond maintaining AT&T’s core telecom business, the company is beset with declining DirecTV subscribers and a host of problems at Time Warner and Warner Bros.

Monopolies Win Again

March 4, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

AT&T finally won its two-year anti-trust litigation against the United States Justice Department to acquire Time Warner.

AT&T’s Big Gamble

February 8, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

The DirecTV deal was AT&T’s first big gamble on the filmed entertainment distribution market. DirecTV has been shedding subscribers since the beginning of 2017.