DirecTV announces second quarter 2009 results

[rad]

Profits down but subscriber counts keep going up, see The DIRECTV Group, Inc. - The DIRECTV Group Announces Second Quarter 2009 Results

"EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug 06, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (NASDAQTV) today reported that second quarter 2009 revenues increased 9% to $5.22 billion, operating profit before depreciation and amortization1 (OPBDA) increased 2% to $1.38 billion while operating profit decreased 12% to $702 million compared to last year's second quarter. Second quarter net income attributable to The DIRECTV Group declined 11% to $407 million while earnings per share were unchanged at $0.40 compared with the same period last year.

"In a quarter in which DIRECTV celebrated its 15th anniversary and became the world's largest pay-tv provider with over 24.2 million customers in the U.S., Latin America and Mexico, our momentum continued as DIRECTV U.S. net subscriber additions grew 74% to 224,000," said Larry Hunter, interim chief executive officer of The DIRECTV Group, Inc. "DIRECTV's strong brand and unrivaled video experience, along with the first full quarter of marketing our bundled service with AT&T, contributed to a 17% increase in gross additions to 1,048,000 and a monthly churn rate of 1.51%."

 

[Lkr]

Oh nice, I contributed

 

[DodgerKing]

The DIRECTV Group Announces Second Quarter 2009 Results

The DIRECTV Group Becomes the World's Largest Pay-TV Provider with over 24.2 Million Subscribers

• DIRECTV U.S. Net Additions Increase 74% to 224,000 Driven by a 17% Increase in Gross Additions and a Monthly Churn Rate of 1.51%
• DIRECTV Latin America Adds 128,000 Net Subscribers
• The DIRECTV Group Increases Revenues 9% to $5.2 Billion and Free Cash Flow by 47% to $550 Million

• DIRECTV U.S. Revenues Grow 8% to $4.5 Billion
  [*]DIRECTV Latin America Revenues Up 11% to $680 Million

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This is the part that caught my eye. Is this now the case? Does Direct really have more subs than any other paid TV provider?

The DIRECTV Group Becomes the World's Largest Pay-TV Provider with Over 24.2 Million Subscribers

The DIRECTV Group, Inc. - The DIRECTV Group Announces Second Quarter 2009 Results

 

[rad]

Does Direct really have more subs than any other paid TV provider?

Yes, when you include Mexico and Latin America numbes they are the largets, if based on US subs alone, nope.

 

[DodgerKing]

Yes, when you include Mexico and Latin America numbes they are the largets, if based on US subs alone, nope.

Who has the largest US only sub base? I am assuming it Comcast?

 

[rad]

Who has the largest US only sub base? I am assuming it Comcast?

IIRC it was Comcast, TWC and then DirecTV and Dish.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I can't wait till Directv starts posting subscriber losses!

Its coming, they just been putting it off by giving away programming and incentives for customers to stay with them when they call to cancel.

You can't put customers on promotions and give away the farm forever!

 

[DodgerKing]

I can't wait till Directv starts posting subscriber losses!

Its coming, they just been putting it off by giving away programming and incentives for customers to stay with them when they call to cancel.

You can't put customers on promotions and give away the farm forever!

I don't care if you are a mod, but I find it disgraceful that you would root for the failure of a company. I know you work for Dish and you often post a lot of negative things about Direct, but to say that you cannot wait for failure is not becoming of someone representing this site.

If this gives me a vacation, so be it. I have been biting my tongue on many of your posts for a long time now.

Are your feelings towards Direct simply because you work for Dish or is it because you are also bitter at Dish's failures over the last 1+ year?

Let me add this: I cannot wait for Dish to turn around their sub losses. I do not want to see them fail. Two successful DBS providers not only gives us more choices, but the competition helps subs for both companies. I hope that their report coming out in 4 days will show a positive turn around

 

[Curtis0620]

Wait until all the DISH sub losses after the TiVo lawsuit is done.

 

[Rey]

I can't wait till Directv starts posting subscriber losses!

Its coming, they just been putting it off by giving away programming and incentives for customers to stay with them when they call to cancel.

You can't put customers on promotions and give away the farm forever!

1st let me say that i don't and won't defend either provider especially since i have or had both. whatever it is that D* has been doing for the last couple of years has brought them much success.from my experience with these 2 providers it's my opinion that D is run better than E is. also from what i've noticed lately E seems to be giving out similar offers too. i can get better upgrade prices as a current customer with dish and their dvr's than what i can with Directv. and both have great offers for new customers so i don't get the criticism here.the profits aren't as high as they would like it to be but from what i understand it's not in the negative either. add to that more subscriber growth while E keeps having negative numbers in this area.

 

[Rey]

Wait until all the DISH sub losses after the TiVo lawsuit is done.

you think this will happen even if dish wins the lawsuit? i don't want to turn this into another tivo thread,just asking

 

[Curtis0620]

you think this will happen even if dish wins the lawsuit? i don't want to turn this into another tivo thread,just asking

No, but they are not likely to win. This Patent Office stuff will have no effect on the current appeal.

 

[mlb]

I can't wait till Directv starts posting subscriber losses!

Its coming, they just been putting it off by giving away programming and incentives for customers to stay with them when they call to cancel.

You can't put customers on promotions and give away the farm forever!

Because Dish doesn't do the same...

I left Dish last year for DirecTV and they offered me the moon (I left anyway because I had already had D* installed, and because of NFL ST). They have called me every 3 months since then offering up all kinds of discounts to get me to come back.

 

[rad]

I can't wait till Directv starts posting subscriber losses!

Its coming, they just been putting it off by giving away programming and incentives for customers to stay with them when they call to cancel.

You can't put customers on promotions and give away the farm forever!

Because Dish doesn't do the same...

I left Dish last year for DirecTV and they offered me the moon (I left anyway because I had already had D* installed, and because of NFL ST). They have called me every 3 months since then offering up all kinds of discounts to get me to come back.

Guess Claude's crystal ball is using HD-Lite

From http://www.satelliteguys.us/1350341-post10.html back on 5/07/08 he said:

"Dish is about to blow Directv out of the water anyways, so I wouldn't expect their profits to be up very much longer! "

We're still waiting.

 

[jokeworm]

We're still waiting.

Indeed .. I can taste the bitterness from here.

One step above fanboi is fanatic ...

 

[DodgerKing]

Guess Claude's crystal ball is using HD-Lite

From http://www.satelliteguys.us/1350341-post10.html back on 5/07/08 he said:

"Dish is about to blow Directv out of the water anyways, so I wouldn't expect their profits to be up very much longer! "

We're still waiting.

Heck...I am still waiting for him to address this little piece of information that I believe he made up...

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-ne...kages-profitable-providers-8.html#post1833455

Directv is loosing money carrying the actual sports packages such as NFL and Extra Innings, but where they make that up is in the additional subscribers they gain that are forced to keep the service because of the sports package.

It was not susposed to work out this way origionally, in the beginning Directv actually was paying a fair price for these packages and it was working out good for them.

The issue now is that the leagues know that Directv has hundreds of thousands of customers who are hanging on by a single thread because of the sports package.

If the sports packages where no longer exclusive only to Directv, there would be massive churn.

Its nice that Directv has exclusive rights to the package, but its really not a good business model to have to be forced to keep paying millions of dollars per year for exclusive rights to a sports package so you DON'T loose subscribers.

This post is related to the financial reports because it addressed churn and money loss.

 

[Jhon69]

I believe that the only difference is while DirecTV is giving away the farm due to promotions,Dish is giving away the farm to lawyers.

 

[DodgerKing]

Direct is giving away promotions to cover sports packages. Which is why most of the promotions are related to sports.

Dish is giving away packages to cover their sub losses. Which is why most of their promotions are related to basic packages and premium upgrades.

 

[dishrich]

I can't wait till Directv starts posting subscriber losses!

I can't wait until you STOP repeating this same drivel as nauseum EVERY quarter...
But considering who you DO sell for, guess I'd be pi$$ed all the time, too...

 

[Jhon69]

Direct is giving away promotions to cover sports packages. Which is why most of the promotions are related to sports.

Direct is giving away packages to cover their sub losses. Which is why most of their promotions are related to basic packages and premium upgrades.

Mine have always been.