The Pivot
When DIRECTV launched in 1994 our plan was to offer the best Direct
Broadcast Satellite (DBS) service to all of America. Thirty years ago cable
infrastructures were prevalent in some major markets but not in the suburbs. Most
Americans were getting their television service from an aerial antenna attached
to the roof of their home. In the Rural Midwest, cable was basically not an
option. It was aerial antenna or no
television at all. DIRECTV’s service was a revelation to those whom at the time
had no other option for TV service.
Shortly after launching, DIRECTV began offering a
local channels option to our subscribers. If you lived west of the Mississippi,
you got Los Angeles Locals. If you lived
east of the Mississippi you qualified to receive Local Channels from New York
City.
Early on DIRECTV knew that to provide timely news, weather,
and local programming in each city in the US they would have to expand their platform. This meant buying, developing, launching, and maintaining a fleet of Satellites in space to support the bandwidth needed to satisfy our
customer’s need for local programming in each designated market area (DMA). To accomplish this, we
had to pivot as a company. We had to establish teams of engineers and develop new
processes make this happen.
In 1999 DIRECTV began offering Spanish programming
to our customers. With a growing subscriber base of Spanish speaking customers
asking, DIRECTV listened and made a pivot by tasking our
engineering team to maximize bandwidth on the 119 and 110 orbital slotted
Satellites to satisfy the demand.
In 2003 DIRECTV began offering High Definition Television to our subscribers. Yes, we made another pivot to advance our platform to receive HD programming on a DBS system. We were the first satellite carrier to offer HD service and quickly became the industry leader in HD programming over Satellite.
In 2019 DIRECTV began working on a streaming service option for our customers, and it debuted in 2021. Our team has had to pivot many times on this project as we developed and grew the platform as well as educating and growing our team of engineers who support the Streaming service we offer. Our streaming product has gone through a few evolutions, each with a pivot to make sure our customers have the best product available for the most affordable price.
After DIRECTV was acquired by AT&T in 2016 and then spun
off as a standalone company in 2022, our team has had to continually pivot to
meet the challenging needs of a “New company” standing on our own. Many of our
team members are not doing the job they were originally hired to perform as our
company needs have changed. For almost everyone in the technical or IT business
sphere, pivoting is a part of corporate life now.
Over the last year I have had the privilege to get to know
and work with our Commercial Sales and Service team at DIRECTV for Business. This group of dedicated professionals are
hardworking and quick to adapt to changing market conditions. They are helpful to our
commercial customers and vendors, and most of all nimble and ready to pivot
when needed to support our customer base. When DIRECTV for Business began
commercial offerings, each tailored to a specific commercial demographic, to
pivot was the norm.
In 2024 DIRECTV for Business began a specific
offering for NON-PROFIT organizations. This service can be scaled up or down
depending on the needs of the customer. From a small 2nd hand store that need one television for is employees to view on their lunch hour, to
Firehouses and police stations that might need between two and twenty
televisions to support the teams when not out on calls, to large
non-profits like the Ronald MacDonald house, who might need over 100 viewing
locations. Whatever the non-profit need, DIRECTV is prepared to work with our customers to design and develop a product that is perfect for their
needs.
From independent hotels to national branded hospitality
companies, DIRECTV has pivoted to develop and help transform the television
viewing experience for our hospitality customers. In each case we have tailored
a product to work specifically with each customer.
DIRECTV is proud to announce that we are launching a Next Generation DIRECTV for Business Set Top Box! This revolutionary service will allow us
to tailor an entertainment solution to our commercial customers complete with live television, on demand content and access to streaming apps. This
Advanced Entertainment Platform (AEP) will be able to position our company to
be the leader in hospitality and commercial entertainment. The new service will have a
plethora of streaming apps tethered to our AEP so hospitality and commercial customers will be
able to quickly and easily switch from one digital platform to another with a
simple click on a solo remote control.
As I celebrate 30 years of DIRECTV, it has been amazing to see where DIRECTV started, how we
have grown, and what the future holds for us. I am more excited than ever to be
on the team! I can’t wait to see what’s next.
For more information about DIRECTV's residential offerings please click HERE. To see how DIRECTV could help your business increase revenue or provide a value added service to your customers or employees please click HERE. If either of these links don't provide you with the information you are looking for, reach out to me directly and I will personally put you in touch with someone who can help.
To learn more about John and the work he does for DIRECTV please click HERE.
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