freedom2
09-29-2008, 12:41 PM
DIRECTV scored a coup late Friday … the DBS company announced that AT&T will market and sell the satellite TV service as a co-branded offering after Jan. 31, 2009.
The relationship between the companies will take effect after the expiration of AT&T's current agreement with DISH Network, AT&T confirmed in a statement. Earlier this year, DISH disclosed that AT&T would terminate the exclusive sales and marketing agreement between the companies. The No. 2 DBS company reported last week that the deal had been extended by a month, to Jan. 31.
DISH didn't have much to say about the DIRECTV/AT&T deal. In a statement, DISH said it has "enjoyed a good partnership with AT&T over the past several years. We look forward to a healthy competition with their U-verse product and DIRECTV."
And while U-verse TV from AT&T is a video competitor to DIRECTV, AT&T said the satellite TV product will become an integral part of the AT&T Advanced TV video portfolio, alongside the telco's IPTV offering.
Nonetheless, AT&T is quite a catch for DIRECTV, given that the DBS giant has relationships with the other big telcos, Verizon and Qwest.
The relationship between the companies will take effect after the expiration of AT&T's current agreement with DISH Network, AT&T confirmed in a statement. Earlier this year, DISH disclosed that AT&T would terminate the exclusive sales and marketing agreement between the companies. The No. 2 DBS company reported last week that the deal had been extended by a month, to Jan. 31.
DISH didn't have much to say about the DIRECTV/AT&T deal. In a statement, DISH said it has "enjoyed a good partnership with AT&T over the past several years. We look forward to a healthy competition with their U-verse product and DIRECTV."
And while U-verse TV from AT&T is a video competitor to DIRECTV, AT&T said the satellite TV product will become an integral part of the AT&T Advanced TV video portfolio, alongside the telco's IPTV offering.
Nonetheless, AT&T is quite a catch for DIRECTV, given that the DBS giant has relationships with the other big telcos, Verizon and Qwest.