# AT&T/SBC Merger: Impact on Satellite TV?



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

A big telecommunications merger could have an impact on the 
satellite TV business.

Late Sunday, AT&T and BellSouth announced plans to merge 
operations through a blockbuster $67 billion deal. The DBS 
impact: EchoStar's DISH Network is sold by AT&T, formerly 
known as SBC; and DirecTV is bundled with BellSouth service.

Because of the weekend (and maybe also because it's way too
early to actually gauge the impact of the deal), the companies
had no comment.

In its fourth quarter reporting, BellSouth said 523,000 of its
customers have added DirecTV service to their BellSouth
Answers bundle since 2004. In September, SBC/AT&T and
EchoStar extended their strategic agreement to continue
marketing the co-branded SBC/DISH Network satellite TV
service. And midway through 2005 SBC's DISH Network
subscriber base was at about the 400,000 mark.

The merger also has implications for the entire pay-TV business,
and details on that are available, including the first wave of
opposition, at today's edition of Telco Media News:
http://www.telcomedianews.com.

www.SkyReport.com - used with permission


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## Chris Freeland (Mar 24, 2002)

This is only a guess on my part, but I suspect that the new AT&T/Bell South may sell both D* and E*. E* in all the current AT&T markets and D* will continue to be sold in the current Bell South markets, however since AT&T is the dominant company in this merger, their contract with E* might be dominant and the Bell South contract might get canceled. It is hard to say for sure at this point though. In the longterm as AT&T rolls out their fiber to the curb with their IPTV service, E* and D* will play a smaller and smaller part in their plans. This is one reason E* and D* need to get going with their rumored Wimax joint venture to do their own bundling deals.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/060306/telecoms_bellsouth_satellite.html?.v=1
EchoStar seen as a winner in AT&T's BellSouth deal


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

Richard King said:


> http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/060306/telecoms_bellsouth_satellite.html?.v=1
> EchoStar seen as a winner in AT&T's BellSouth deal


Way too early to say. DOJ, FCC must approve. Probably won't go throgh untll next year.


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