# Verizon to start selling DirecTV



## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Phone Cos. to Counterattack Cable TV

By BRUCE MEYERSON
AP Business Writer

The battle lines in the cutthroat industry known as telecommunications are about to blur even further as the nation's biggest telephone companies launch a long-promised counterattack against the cable TV industry, whose new phone services have been stealing away customers.

Starting Wednesday, SBC Communications Inc. will offer DISH Network satellite cable service to all of its residential customers in the 13 states where SBC is the dominant local phone provider.

Next week, Verizon Communications Inc. will begin selling DirecTV satellite cable across New England and New York state. Qwest Communications, the Denver-based local phone company for much of the Rocky Mountain and Northwest, is already selling both DISH and DirecTV. And later this month, BellSouth Corp. plans to begin selling DirecTV through its Web site in advance of a full-fledged launch in its nine-state region slated for the summer.

The phone companies are betting the marketing partnerships will help them keep existing customers, while convincing them to sign up for more services.

*Full Article*


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## timf (Apr 21, 2002)

I wonder who came up with the term "satellite cable".


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## Maniacal1 (Apr 9, 2002)

Hmm, I'm a Verizon customer in New England, but I'm in Pegasus territory. I don't suppose I'll be able to flee Pegasus for Verizon. I'm betting there'll be some clause about new customers only. But it's still nice to think about.


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

bell atlantic uesd to sell directv too 


My mom almost brought it from them in 1999 But we moved in 1999


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## crkeehn (Apr 23, 2002)

pez2002 said:


> bell atlantic uesd to sell directv too
> 
> My mom almost brought it from them in 1999 But we moved in 1999


I had it when Bell Atlantic carried DirecTV. It was very painful. You got the worst of Bell Atlantic Service/support. The equipment was high priced and you had to use their equipment. Hopefully they have learned from their mistake.

Interestingly enough, when I re-signed with DirecTV this past Spring, my past came back to haunt me. I came up as a previous customer but the way Bell Atlantic had entered the account, the DirecTV rep had a difficult time in restoring it. I was on the phone with him for a lonnnnnnnng time.


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

did you ever get your directv service Back


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## crkeehn (Apr 23, 2002)

pez2002 said:


> did you ever get your directv service Back


Yes I did. I lost out on the "New Subscriber" deals as I had previously had DirecTV through the reseller, however the CS rep was very nice and did provide me with all he could. I did get the equipment without cost, he also threw in a premium package for a couple of months. That action was strictly voluntary on his part, it was not a deal breaker but he felt bad that I wasn't qualified for the new subscriber programming.

The problem came in trying to reactivate the account. The way Bell Atlantic/Verizon handled it, the account was all messed up and it took the DirecTV rep a while to get it straightened out. We are very happy with the service and the programming.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

timf said:


> I wonder who came up with the term "satellite cable".


I had a similar thought and took a moment to send a note to the _A_P reporter, Bruce Meyerson, and to the editor of the Alabama Times-Daily which ran the story.

""Phone Cos. to Counterattack Cable TV"

_'In your informative article referenced above, you referred to Satellite televison, technically and properly called 'Direct Broadcast Satellite', or DBS, as "satellite cable". Cable television and direct broadcast satellite television are two completely different and competing technologies.

I hope you will keep this in mind when writing future business technology stories.'_


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

This does remind me of when Bell Atlantic was selling DirecTv and then quit doing so.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I remember when AT&T was selling DirecTV and USSB. I still have the 15 minute DirecTV/USSB demo tape I got back in '95 or '96


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

The funny thing about the AT&T deal is that Hughes' then chairman was hired away by AT&T to be their chairman. The first thing that he did at AT&T was to cancel the deal and sell the AT&T investment in Hughes. Gee, I wonder what he knew.


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

I remember Primestar advertising their service as wireless cable.


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

I would add the word-----again. Verizon has sold DirecTV before.


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## Mike Richardson (Jun 12, 2003)

Steve Mehs said:


> I remember when AT&T was selling DirecTV and USSB. I still have the 15 minute DirecTV/USSB demo tape I got back in '95 or '96


Hey, I'd like to see that. For some reason I'm intrigued by old stuff like that. Don't ask me why. Ah, whatever.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Here ya go see it? 

Seriously, if you’re interested, give me a PM and I’ll buzz ya a copy. It’s only 15 minutes or so but it’s interesting to revisit those days. 

I too like looking at stuff form the good old days. The video is from 1996, when the USSB had more then just premiums, but many Viacom channels, Lifetime and a few others. Every once in a while, I’ll search the net and web archive on USSB, P* and A*. Kind of cool to see how far this industry has evolved in the past decade.


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## Mike Richardson (Jun 12, 2003)

Steve Mehs said:


> Here ya go see it?
> 
> Seriously, if you're interested, give me a PM and I'll buzz ya a copy. It's only 15 minutes or so but it's interesting to revisit those days.
> 
> I too like looking at stuff form the good old days. The video is from 1996, when the USSB had more then just premiums, but many Viacom channels, Lifetime and a few others. Every once in a while, I'll search the net and web archive on USSB, P* and A*. Kind of cool to see how far this industry has evolved in the past decade.


Looking at the old sites for satellite companies is interesting. I also saw an old manual for some kind of anchient DirecTV receiver. It was made by PROVIEW or something like that, some RCA subsidiary. It had this interesting interface which had the RCA dog in it a lot.


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