back to article Dish and DirecTV deal: Damned if they merge, damned if they don't

Almost like a delayed reaction, the news that Dish Network had been actively courting DirecTV once again in the US has driven up both companies’ share prices, triggered by the Comcast Time Warner Cable deal. The share price movements should have happened the day the Comcast TWC deal was mooted, but were only came about after …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Cirdan
    Facepalm

    Dish competitors--

    While I was being courted by a phone call from AT&T in the USA to entice me to pay for their "U-Verse" IP television streaming ("cable") service, I responded that I didn't need a different provider.

    "How do you get your TV now?", the representative asked.

    "Terrestrial", I replied.

    "Oh, and how much does Terrestrial charge for their service?"

    DOH!

    The state of education in the United States shocks me at times...

    1. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Re: Dish competitors--

      Well, to be honest, "Terrestrial" does sound like a brand name, and most Americans would say "by antenna" or "over-the-air" so I can see how he was confused. I've only seen this usage in El Reg and the first time it took me a minute to figure it out from context myself.

      Heck, even Americans can't agree on common terms. I was arguing politics with some Yankees and I said "George Bush was a spook" (meaning he was a spy, since he was head of the CIA) to which I got a shocked reply of "but George Bush is *white*"

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Dish competitors--

        "Heck, even Britons can't agree on common terms"

        No, pedantic self absorbed Britons who have never even heard, cared or understood what Americans say or do; can't agree on common terms ( for American slang). There, fixed that for you.

        "Spook" has been known for MANY years (at least since the 1950's) to have a meaning of spy and also has a derogatory context of "black person" hence the confusion.

        I won't get into how you Brits seem to take pride in calling a cigarette a "fag"; that being derogatory slang for homosexual here in the USA.

        Call a bundle of sticks, a bundle of sticks please.

        Internet in the USA has few forms or competitors. Phone (DSL or Dialup), Fiber (Lose your POTS if you can even get it) or Cable. Some people have no choice but to use a combo of phone and sattellite but you have to be desperate or masochistic.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Mushroom

          Re: Dish competitors--

          > No, pedantic self absorbed Britons

          Erm, that would be the whole English speaking world other than the US then.

          > self absorbed

          Wow, and that coming from an American I suspect. The irony is breathtaking.

          Most Americans don't have a clue that there are any countries other than the US, Canada (those guys that come over the border and buy cheap fuel and TVs from us), Mexico (full of poor people trying to get in to steal all our jobs), Ireland (on with the struggle and thanks for St Paddy's day) and Israel (down with those bastard arabs).

          Now I know that the USians have opinions on the English (yes that's right the "English" language) and have at various times tried to correct its many faults by pretty much rewriting the dictionary, but I can tell you that the language is already sufficiently endowed with inconsistencies and strange idiosyncrasies that we don't need people adding any more.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Dish competitors--We call it "BROADCAST" here

      Try not to be such a dickhead and try and make an attempt to understand what people are saying. Otherwise you are just another stupid foreigner with no business in our country.

      Terrestrial = Broadcast, remember we invented it.

      Great invention: Dictionary, apparently something this dickhead doesn't use or understand...

      BTW, since you were speaking with someone from a phone company, it's rather likely they live in another country and don't understand the "lingo" here EITHER!

  2. Bob Camp

    One flaw in the analysis

    Most people can sign up for DirecTV or Dish. But nobody can choose between Time Warner Cable or Comcast. The areas they provide service to don't overlap. So if Comcast buys TWC, the end user still has the same number of choices.

    1. Michael Habel

      Re: One flaw in the analysis

      Its more or less the same here with Malone's UnityMedia (Hesse, NRW & BW), or KabelDeutschland for the rest of Germany. If your lucky enough to own a Dish you could give your Money to the Murdoch's Sky, (Formally KirchMedia Premiere, formally Kirch's DF1 DTH Digital Satellite Service in the mid-late '90s).

      So we have about as much choice here too... That is to say nada!

    2. JEDIDIAH
      Linux

      Re: One flaw in the analysis

      A larger land line cable company has more power to abuse upstream service providers and streaming based alternatives. They can influence the market for everyone much in the way that Walmart does. THAT is the problem with consolidation of local land line monopolies.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: One flaw in the analysis

        Exactly.

        If Comcast & TWC were required to divest their content ownership (NBC, various sports networks, etc.) and prevented from acquiring any for a decade, then I wouldn't have a problem with the merger. But if they have a near-nationwide football and control a lot of content, that sets the stage from them charging ridiculous prices for their content as a way to force consumers to choose them over other cable or satellite companies.

  3. Herby

    But I don't want...

    A silly "hopper". I just want the TiVo service I get with DirecTV to continue like it always does. The customer service for Dish network just isn't that good (I do know a friend who switched).

    Please don't let the silly people of Dish (not known for their great management practices) to screw up DirecTV.

    The (dis) wonders of market consolidation.

  4. mIRCat
    Paris Hilton

    When in doubt, screw the customer!

    "All of which would create carnage in content purchasing, broadband concentration and media reach."

    You forgot the part about the consumer getting screwed.

    Paris... natch.

This topic is closed for new posts.