Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

In the five years that T owned DTV, there has been zero funding of new technologies, no new hardware since that disaster called Genie 2 - we have no voice activated remotes that even the crappiest CATV companies offer. Our "New Installs: and "Upgrade" are comprised 100% of refurbished cr-p from 7 to 8 years ago. We are short staffed, under equipped, we salvage parts from customer returns - helles belles - our channel lineup handouts for new customers are photo-copies from an outdated and obsolete booklet printed in 2017.

In my mostly affluent area of California we are down to three roughly defined categories of customers - extremely elderly folks whose grand kids switched them over to DTV 10 years ago and are afraid of changing providers again. The second group are multifamily Hispanics crammed into a cr---y apartment looking for the Spanish language programs who only came to us after being kicked off Dish for non-payment. Third group are the jockstrap sniffing football fanatics holding onto us solely for Sunday Ticket - once that goes after next season - so do they.

At the rate of annual customer losses between 14 and 30 % - gives us barely 3 to 4 more years and this place goes the way of the proverbial dodo bird.

TPG declares bankruptcy and DTV becomes another has-been tech company on Wikipedia.

@hbh, which is it "DTV can definitely remain viable" or "They will end up slicing it up for parts"? I don't think it's possible to do both.

DTV is now a niche broadcast service used by old folk and those who live in the hinterland.

Linear TV is in terminal decline.

Folks under 40 watch far more streaming than linear TV, which drives ad spend, which drives profitability.

The older generation has some years left, but that demo alone cannot support sat tv, and they decrease in number every day.

DTV can definitely remain viable, but it will never regain it's glory.

However, the first step in returning DTV to any level of postive performance is (was) finally losing the T management led by Stink. DTV's horrible losses and steep fall were due much more to T's neglect, mismanagement, incompetence, and arrogance than the changing entertainment industry. DTVs losses were disproportionately worse than the industry at large, and T never really did anything to fix it. In fact, T was so disdainful and unconcerned with helping DTV try and remain relevant it was like leaving an infant alone without food or water for a couple of days, then being amazed when you find it suffering and near death.

Unfortunately, TPG is not something that will revive DTV. They will end up slicing it up for parts, selling what they can, then dumping the carcass off on someone like Dish. The writing is on the wall for any employees who have been assigned with DTV. Layoffs are around the corner.

Way to go, T!

Keep in mind DirecTV lost 600,000+ subscribers in the 1st quarter. AT&T dismantled and underfunded DirecTV since the 2015 acquisition. Outside of AT&T TV there isn't any new products that are ready for sale. It will take spending in the hundreds of millions to get DirecTV to function as a stand alone company again. That is just functional not profitable. TPG is here for one reason, to make a return on its investment. AT&T wants to make money off the jo--t venture via support agreements. But I think the bottom line both companies will only see any a return from this when DirecTV gets sold to Dish.