# Will Merger happen?



## Uncle Peter (Jun 26, 2002)

I am wondering if the Merger between Directv and Dish Network will ever happen? and if it does, when?


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## Neil Derryberry (Mar 23, 2002)

Welcome, Uncle Peter!

Don't look for anything until the fall, I bet. We all have our own speculation about it... I'm thinking it will happen myself.


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## Chuck W (Mar 26, 2002)

The way it stands now, I doubt it. I really thing the FTC will end up saying no.


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## bogi (Apr 3, 2002)

I hope not but money talks


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## cnsf (Jun 6, 2002)

As much as my heart thinks it will happen, my head says it shouldn't.

My guess is that Charlie wouldn't be going balls out on this and putting all his eggs in one basket if he didn't have some other info indicating it will happen.


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## Chris Freeland (Mar 24, 2002)

I think it will happen but with conditions. Likely conditions:
1. Give up some or all bandwidth at wing locations (61.5 and 148), to make room for possible future DBS competition.
2. Some sort of national pricing guarantees.
3. A guarantee that all 210 local DMA's will be carried with in, 2 or 3 years of completion of the merger.


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## cnsf (Jun 6, 2002)

You may also have anti-anti-trust demands regarding negotiation tactics and arbitration (e.g. ABC Family, YES, etc.)


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## Karl Foster (Mar 23, 2002)

I wrote a letter to my Senator regarding the merger, and I got a response back from his saying that the chief concern the Senate has is the lack of satellite slots if the merger is approved. 

Personal opinion - I hope it doesn't, but it probably will. I think if it does, we could see some degredation of service. No competition = bad service. Think your local phone company or electric company.


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## bryan27 (Apr 1, 2002)

> _Originally posted by karl_f _
> *No competition = bad service. Think your local phone company or electric company. *


My phone company is the best I ever had, but then again we have competition. There is nothing nicer than walking into the locally owned competing phone company office or calling them with a local mumber and being greeted by name, rather than call some 800 number to who knows where to someone that doesn't know you from anyone else


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I think that as of today, with the way the market is treating both stocks, that the merger is officially over with and that GM will back out and pay the back out fee. Up until a few days ago I thought the only chance of it not happening was government refusal, now I think it will be GM and GMH refusal. If GMH backs out they have to pay Dish $600,000,000. This might be a good move on their part considering market conditions at the moment (especially today).


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## Rob (Apr 23, 2002)

GM might not have 600,000,000. maybe not even 6000
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/020627/autos_gm_1.html


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## HarryD (Mar 24, 2002)

I hope not! I like choice.


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

Choice is good but would there be a better chance for competition with or without a merger?


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## gopherscot (Mar 25, 2002)

Yes ... I hope it does ... and yes I like the choice of having sports packages and superstations without having two different services. I consider cable as the biggest competition to either service so I like the joining together to better both. There are some concerns for rural people but I suspect dish will have to address pricing on a national basis to keep pricing in line!


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## zuma hans (Apr 23, 2002)

No. It will not be approved.

Not even this administration would okay it - particularly in the light of the public's opinion about EnronQwestMarthaStewartTycoGlobalCrossingXeroxYourNameHereArthurAndersonThisSpaceForRent .


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## Mike (Apr 10, 2002)

Who's to say there will be supers if there is a merger? How about sports packages? Right now, DirecTV still doesn't know how to program their sports packages correctly (particularly MLB). Charlie doesn't like sports at all. The sports he's able to get has OTA feeds in it which is a great plus and fantastic if he can talk MLB into adding those feeds into the package, but I still don't want the merger. Just too much Charlie hating sports. FSN 2 for years and now YES are more examples. Competition is better. You used to be able to buy c-band programming from different sources like Programmers Clearing House and Turnervision, but now those companies and others have merged together or folded and the pricing isn't as cheap as it used to be with more companies. I'm totally against the merger. Bad bad bad bad move for the consumers.


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## Karl Foster (Mar 23, 2002)

Mike - I couldn't agree more. I'm venturing to guess that most of us that have DBS have it because we got fed up with our local cable companies (mine was Insight, then TCI, then AT&T and I haven't moved in nine years). With them having a monopoly, our service continued to go down, down, down until AT&T forced everyone to go digital if they wanted anything besides very basic service. The problem was they didn't offer digital in our neighborhood. 

What's to keep the mega-DBS company from sinking down the monopoly service hole? 

If E* subs want the sports packages so bad, they have an option now. If your DBS provider doesn't give you what you want - change. If the merger happens, that option is gone, and we as consumers lose.


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## Rage (Aug 19, 2001)

I'm against the merger.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> Charlie doesn't like sports at all.


On what do you (and others who keep making this claim) base this statement?


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## Rage (Aug 19, 2001)

No pro sports packages available for one, Rking.


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## Mike (Apr 10, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Rking401 _
> *
> On what do you (and others who keep making this claim) base this statement? *


1) No FSN 2 for the So Cal Sports fans. How long has FSN 2 been around? Way too long.

2) No YES for the New York fans. How long has it been around? Apparently too long as DirecTV has had it now since March.

3) Apparently, from what I used to read, Charlie had opportunities for negotations in the past for the MLB, NBA and NHL packages, but didn't get them. Why? Charlie too cheap? MLB wouldn't put OTA feeds in the package? Charlie wanted that as a stipulation since most of the packages that Charlie does have now have those from what I read.

Those are just 3 examples. I don't want to see the list grow to 20 if there is a merger.  Charlie in January 2007 on the Charlie chat: "Our contract was up in December at the end of the year with Rainbow for all of the Rainbow RSN channels, so we will have to take those down at the end of January if we can't reach an agreement. Those of you in New England, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, Florida & Oakland/San Francisco will be losing your RSN at the end of the month. We continue our negotiations with Rainbow, but we can't promise anything. For your troubles, all of the FOX owned RSN's will be free starting Feburary 1st until your RSN is available again." This can happen and with Charlie it's very possible. He's unpredictable. If Dish fans aren't happy with the lack of sports programming, then switch to DirecTV. This merger is not good for the consumers. I like Charlie. I still have Echosphere c-band stuff from the mid 80's that I use, so I know he makes good stuff, but this is just a bad bad move for me and for you.


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## BrettR (Apr 24, 2002)

I think Dish was trying to keep costs lower not carrying all the Sports Channels (like YES, FSW2). 

Charlie running Dish will not be the same as Charlie running DirecTV.

If a merger is approved, down the road the DirecTV company by Echostar will want to raise rates to cover the costs of the sports services, so sports fans do not have to worry. If anyone has to worry its the customers taking the low end packages like AT 50. Already DirecTv has phased out its equivalent Select Choice package, as RSNs were insisting DirecTV put the RSN in the "basic" package, and this is too difficult for just a $21-24 package, so Total Choice has become the "basic" package.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

None of the comments on sports channels has ANYTHING whatsoever to do with whether Charlie "hates sports" as I keep seeing. Nothing stated has any bearing on the fact of whether he does or does not hate sports. All comments simply relate back to what he thinks is best for the shareholder of Echostar stock. If he thought having the sports channels would be best for the shareholder and the financial health of the company I am sure they would be there.


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## AllieVi (Apr 10, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Rking401 _
> *None of the comments on sports channels has ANYTHING whatsoever to do with whether Charlie "hates sports" as I keep seeing. Nothing stated has any bearing on the fact of whether he does or does not hate sports. All comments simply relate back to what he thinks is best for the shareholder of Echostar stock. If he thought having the sports channels would be best for the shareholder and the financial health of the company I am sure they would be there. *


I agree. Charlie is simply doing what he perceives is in the best long-term interest of the company. E* carries a lot of international programming, but I don't believe it has anything to do with his pesronal viewing habits - it's just a good business decision.


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

If they would merge then they could compete better with cable and other services even further and also be able to offer better deals to customers and keep their customer acquisition down and the prices that they have to pay for channels down and right off the bat get a better deal to make up for a lot of the merger costs especially over the long run. They may need this merger to stay alive so they dont sink down like c-band did to competition and to be able to offer more competitive prices and deals for current customers because it is just as important to keep the current customers that it cost a lot to get as it is to get new ones because there is no point in acquiring new customers if you are going to lose just as many or more than you are acquiring. This would allow them to cut better deals to give the customers a better deal to keep them. They could combine services such as internet by satellite with television and possibly other services such as telephone services and more. This will also force the competition to compete even further and Charlie will be more focused than ever on competing against cable.


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## HarryD (Mar 24, 2002)

> _Originally posted by AllieVi _
> *
> ... E* carries a lot of international programming, but I don't believe it has anything to do with his pesronal viewing habits - it's just a good business decision. *


He saw a programming void and he filled it. BUT that's not to say that he'll be able to handle a merged company... :thats:


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> No pro sports packages available for one.


To extend the logic a bit:
DirecTv = No Russian stations. Eddy obviously hates Russians.
DirecTv = No Polish stations. Eddy obviously hates Polish.
DirecTv = No South Asian stations. Eddy obviously hates South Asians.
DirecTv = No Arabic stations. Eddy obviously hates Arabs.
DirecTv = No Greek stations. Eddy obviously hates Greeks.
DirecTv = No Chinese stations. Eddy obviously hates Chinese.
DirecTv = No super stations. Eddy obviously hates supers (whatever they are). :lol:


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## Rusty (Apr 26, 2002)

I don't have any clue as to whether the merger will be approved or disapproved. Both entities are making "pie in the sky" promises to congress in an attempt to gain approval. Many of these promises will never be kept and the combined company will fall all over themselves filing lengthy briefs as to why they now find it impossible to do many of the things that they promised. And, very likely, they will get away with it. I have been against this merger from the start and I honestly feel that, if approved, we DBS subscribers will, ultimately, get the shaft.
If the merger is disapproved, there are other companies out there waiting to make bids for DirecTV. I feel that is what should happen because there will, then, still be two DBS companies competing against each other as well as against CATV.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> Many of these promises will never be kept


I have a problem thinking they will fulfill the high speed internet promise at low cost. I think all the others that I have heard them promise are doable and will be done. Are there others I have missed?


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## jrjcd (Apr 23, 2002)

will the merger happen????probably...

is the merger a good thing???not unless the feds, in a fit of madness, bring heavy restrictions on charlie and company to keep them honest and truthful..

will that happen?-"probably not-and all the proposed benefits of a merged company AND all the supposed benefits will not appear...

programming costs MAY be marginally better than cable, but keep in mind-sales are REAL SLOW across the board now and sooner than later, the people dbs will be playing to will be the existing customer base-dbs THRIVES on new customer aquisition and THAT source is slowing to a trickle-without MAJOR influx of new customers, well, the money's gotta come from somewhere and cheap programming will be substituted for available bells and whistles on the receivers-will that be enough to stop a migration from dbs when the cost of programming starts increasing-who knows???

the rural customer is the one who rightly has the reason for concern, because his choices are limited and he knows he is most at risk to the fancy of the decisionmakers...in town, dbs will become just one more componant to the savvy businessman who changes his business thrust to complete home theatre systems so he can survive-dbs will be the best carrier of the HDTV signal and the videophile will always be the best suburban customer, where quality of service will always supercede cost...


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