Over the last few months, we’ve reviewed cable and internet service bills for seven of the nation’s largest providers in an attempt to make sense of all those fees and charges. So what did we learn from these bills covering cable, satellite, and fiber customers from Connecticut to California? [More]
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From “Yay” To “Boo” To “Shrug,” Here’s What Everyone Had To Say About FCC’s Set-Top Box Proposal
By 4.26.16
When the FCC voted in February to consider new rules for your cable box, that kicked off a multi-month cycle of public comments, where anyone and everyone can have their say. The deadline for the first round struck at midnight Friday, which means most of the comments are just rolling onto the internet for all and sundry to have a look at. [More]
DirecTV To Tee Off Its Live 4K TV Channel During Masters Tournament
By 3.9.16
If you’re one of the early adopters who purchased a 4K or Ultra-HD TV, you’ve probably been watching a lot of streaming and on-demand videos while waiting for live TV broadcasts to finally begin taking advantage of all those extra pixels. Next month, DirecTV customers with 4K TVs will be able to watch some of the Masters pro tournament in all its green glory. [More]
No Satellite Needed: DirecTV To Offer Online-Only Pay-TV Service
By 3.1.16
More than a year after competitor Dish launched its Sling TV live streaming service, DirecTV is following suit with the announcement of a new product called DirecTV Now. [More]
The Consumerist Guide To Understanding Your DirecTV Bill
By 2.23.16
When you sign up for telecommunications services — some combination of TV, broadband, and/or phone — you’re told you’ll pay something like $49 or $99 a month… and yet the price you actually pay can be as much as 40% or more on top of that, thanks to a heap of sometimes confusing charges and fees. Which ones do you blame the government for, and which are made up by your cable company? One business at a time, we’re going to use real customers’ bills to break it down. We’ve already looked at Comcast and TWC. This time we’re switching it up a bit to have a look at satellite, and will be dissecting a bill from DirecTV. [More]
MLB To Offer In-Market Streaming Starting In 2017 (But You’ll Still Need Cable)
By 1.19.16
The settlement of a years-old class-action lawsuit against Major League Baseball means that fans will have more streaming options for watching their favorite teams. Unfortunately, it also means that if you live in the same market as your favorite team, you still need to pay for cable. [More]
Happy New Year: Dish, DirecTV/AT&T, Time Warner Cable All Raising Rates In January Because They Can
By 12.21.15
For a bunch of the big cable and satellite companies, it does indeed look like a very merry Christmas and a happy new year are on the horizon — but consumers can be forgiven for feeling a lot more grinchy about it. That’s because all the new nickels, dimes, and dollars that are going to line businesses’ big virtual pockets are coming directly from subscribers in the form of unasked-for price hikes. [More]
Supreme Court Once Again Shows Its Disdain For Consumer Rights
By 12.14.15
For the third time in five years, the U.S. Supreme Court had a chance to reverse a terrifying trend in consumer rights by doing something, anything, to rein in “forced arbitration” clauses that strip consumers of their legal rights and effectively give companies a license to steal. And for the third time in five years, the SCOTUS majority showed its interests lie in protecting the coffers of big business rather than Americans’ access to the legal system. [More]
Ad Watchdog Recommends DirecTV Cease 4K Claims
By 12.9.15
AT&T may already be killing off the DirecTV name, but that doesn’t mean its recently acquired pay-TV brand doesn’t have to answer for its possibly misleading advertisements. As such, a national ad review board has directed the company – at the behest of Charter Communications – to discontinue claims made in its “Hannah and Her Horse” campaign that suggests all of its programming is available via 4K technology. [More]
AT&T To Begin Slow Process Of Killing Off DirecTV, U-Verse Names
By 12.2.15
With AT&T now owning DirecTV and still operating its U-Verse network, the company has two separate pay-TV brands. But that won’t last forever, with AT&T telling employees that both brands will eventually be phased out in favor of a new, unified name covering both satellite and cable TV service. [More]
AT&T Testing Wireless Home Broadband In At Least 4 States
By 10.2.15
AT&T helped grease the wheels for its recent acquisition of DirecTV by promising to bring high-speed wireless broadband to homes in rural America. Now that the merger is official, it’s look like AT&T is beginning to make good on that promise, though a number of questions about the new service still remain. [More]
Sprint Offering A Free Year Of Cell Service To DirecTV Subscribers
By 8.28.15
We’ve got a possible love triangle on our hands, friends: Sprint is taking aim at new couple AT&T and its $49 billion beloved, DirecTV, dangling a free year of cell service for satellite subscribers who switch their service. [More]
Appeals Panel Hands Second Loss To DirecTV Over Rob Lowe Ads
By 8.14.15
Four months after an ad review board, acting on a complaint from Comcast, recommended DirecTV pull its quirky promotions featuring Rob Lowe and a parade of peculiar alter-egos, a review panel upheld the original findings that some of the spots contain unsubstantiated claims — despite the fact the ads are “very funny.” [More]
Here’s How Much Your Local Sports Bar Is Paying For NFL Sunday Ticket
By 8.14.15
If you think $252-$354/year is a lot to pay for DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket, well… you’re right. But it’s also just a fraction of what even the smallest sports bar will pay to carry the exclusive add-on package. [More]
NFL Sunday Ticket Now Available To College Students At A Discount
By 8.10.15
College students often live far from where they grew up, meaning they can’t usually watch their hometown NFL team play on Sunday afternoons. DirecTV and its new parent AT&T are hoping to reach these young football fans by offering a discounted rate for online access to NFL Sunday Ticket. [More]
Small Business Owners Say DirecTV Installation Errors Result In Collections Lawsuits
By 8.7.15
If a small business, like a bar or restaurant, lies to a cable company and orders residential service instead of the more costly commercial offerings, it would make sense that the pay-TV provider might sue to collect the money it should have received. But what if the reason for the gaffe wasn’t intentional deception but a mistake by an installer? [More]
Newly Married AT&T/DirecTV Unveil Underwhelming Combined Wireless/TV Plans
By 8.3.15
Now that the merger of AT&T and DirecTV has cleared regulatory hurdles, the newlyweds are going public with their first combo platter offering that pairs of AT&T wireless phone service with DirecTV satellite TV. Unfortunately, the more than 20 million current DirecTV customers are going to be left out in the cold on this announcement. [More]
Cable Companies Refuse To Reveal How Much They Make Off Of Set-Top Boxes
By 7.31.15
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachussetts and Sen. Dick Blumenthal of Connecticut recently posed a handful of questions to the nation’s cable and satellite providers about their set-top boxes — Are they required? How many customers have them? Is there an option for customers to purchase their own? etc. While some providers were more transparent in their responses than others, there was one thing they all agreed on: We’re not telling you how much we make from leasing these devices. [More]
