COMMENTARY

DirecTV And Streaming: Putting The Satellite Dish in The Cupboard?

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 4 hours ago

Since everything in TV-video is moving to streaming, does that mean companies like DirecTV and Dish Network are essentially ready to remove key, noticeable equipment from on op or outside of their subscriber homes? 

Now, with a new TV campaign, DirecTV wants to be in the cooler and more hip space of those virtual streaming pay TV services that include YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, Sling, and all the rest. 

Starting up a national TV marketing campaign, DurecTV finally addresses the video elephant in the room: Those now retro-looking satellite dishes on roofs.

A new commercial cuts to the chase: “Stream DirecTV Without A Satellite Dish.” It has two pigeons mulling the prospect of getting the “good stuff” of TV without that business.

What does this mean for those 8.1 million or so TV households now that have that equipment?

What are the prospects for consumers to make a satellite-to-streaming transition? The TV jury is still out.

Shifting an established video brand to a new channel of sorts may take some doing. Remember Blockbuster Video's internet-streaming effort (Blockbuster On Demand), transitioning from the brick-and-mortar stores? How did that go?

Still, we should congratulate DirecTV for doing the obvious. No doubt Dish Network may be looking at the same thing -- although its Sling TV service has been an established video brand for nine years.

Interestingly in the spot, there is no mention of the nascent brand the company has been promoting for awhile called ‘DirecTV Stream’ (which has around two million or so subscribers, according to MoffettNathanson estimates). Perhaps that's because it might not be needed in future years.

The new TV commercial shows two pigeons -- voiced by Steve Buscemi and Henry Winkler -- landing on a TV home roof that are peering into a living room with the TV on. They are perplexed that they can’t find the satellite dish anywhere.

“Oh, I love doing my business on one of those things.” says the Winkler bird. “You one sick pigeon,” responds the Buscemi fowl. “Those dishes kept the rain off or our beaks.” 

Winkler's retort is: “We just have different priorities.” Buscemi then says: “Satellite Free DirecTV. Never thought I’d see the day.

Winkler then says: “Well, our lifespans are quite short.”

Sometimes that goes for TV businesses as well