Dish CEO Says DirecTV Merger Possible

[The Straight Story]

Dish CEO Says DirecTV Merger Possible

Dish Network Corp. (DISH) and DirecTV may have a better chance to merge today than when regulators struck down a deal almost a decade ago, according to newly appointed Dish Chief Executive Officer Joseph Clayton.

“I don’t discount any possibility,” Clayton said May 20 in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “It’s probably easier from a regulatory environment today than it was 5 to 10 years ago, when it was originally proposed. We’re looking at anything that will help enhance shareholder value.”

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission rejected a combination between Englewood, Colorado-based Dish and DirecTV in 2002, saying the merger would harm consumers. Since then, the expansion of Internet video and TV distribution from telecom companies AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Communications Corp. have increased the availability of pay-TV beyond satellite and cable.

AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc., if approved, may indicate the regulatory environment has transformed enough for a deal to be approved, said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-24/dish-ceo-says-directv-merger-possible.html

[ejpoeta]

1. um.... how many satellite providers are there???? this is ridiculous.

uggh.

[Fumesucker]

2. “It’s probably easier from a regulatory environment today than it was 5 to 10 years ago""

So the man is saying that the Obama FCC is more lenient on mergers than the Bush FCC was?

Way to stand up for the consumers.

[AlabamaLibrul]

4. It would appear so. Also oil CEOs saying oil should be "60-70 a barrel" nt

[truebrit71]

3. I chose Dish over Directtv recently for SPECIFIC reasons...

...I don't WANT directtv service and price, just like as a long-time T-Mobile customer I don't want At&t/NSA's shitty fucking service and exorbitant price structure...

This merger bullshit has to stop...otherwise one day we will wind-up all working for "The Company" buying our food at "The SuperMarket" and having our paychecks deposited at "The Bank" where we write one check for all of our bills because they are all owned by "The Company"....

[AlabamaLibrul]

5. I'm getting out of T-mo... at the end of the year at the latest, I think ETF prorates soon nt

[nc4bo]

6. Damn. One big bank, one big cable provider, one big ISP, one big satellite Co., one big tv network

one big newspaper, one big oil company, one big phone company and it goes on and on until it's one big clusterf*ck for you and me.

It's coming to just one big happy family for them and no happy ending for us.

Needless to say I hope this goes down in flames.

[Old Codger]

7. Personally

I had dish for a long time, then went to direct, switched back as soon as contract ran out, I am pretty close to going back to antenna and pretty likely will do so if they merge.