AT&T promoting DIRECTV while Uverse subscribers DECREASED 22.9% Y-o-Y!

Doesn't look too good for us LONG TERM U-verse subscribers. Too many trees and too many headaches for DTV. 

Thank goodness Google Fiber is almost active in my 'hood!

Interesting, Last year (Sept 2015) when I moved, my Directv contract was up and I made a deal with them for a new contract.

I then got an email from AT&T cancelling this new contract, they told me that they couldn't honor the deal as the Directv Customer Rep didn't follow the right policy.

In turn, they offered me a Uverse 300 plan with 75Mb Internet, that I have been happy with.

I got the distinct feeling they were trying to keep me from staying with Directv, so I am suprised to see Uverse subscriptions down that much. 

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@ajwdct wrote:

From AT&T's 3rd quarter earnings report under Subscriber Metrics:

http://www.att.com/Investor/Earnings/3q16/ib_final_3q16.pdf

 

"U-verse TV subscribers declined 326,000 as the company continued to focus on profitability and increasingly emphasized satellite sales. For the second straight quarter, gross additions increased on a year-over-year basis even when excluding IPTV customers transitioning to DIRECTV."

 

So perhaps the 22.9% year over year DECLINE in Uverse TV subscribers is indicative of AT&T neglecting the many customer reported problems such that they outright cancel or "transition" to DIRECTV.    That's the only explanation I can come up with for the lack of software/firmware quality control/test before release AND not attempting to correct or resolve problems with STB and Residential Gateway software updates.

 

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AT&T makes no secret of the fact that it views DirectTV as the preference for future TV service.

DirecTV has 2 huge problems Uverse TV doesn't have:

1.  Too many trees for direct line of sight (as you noted)

2.  Many condo complexes like mine don't permit satellite dishes on roof of your unit as it violates their CC&Rs.  You can put the dish on your patio, but then your reception won't be good or blocked completely by another unit or trees.

Hence, many Uverse TV subscribers (like me) don't have satellite tv as an option.  We would switch to Comcast (in SF Bay Area) or other cableco/MSO in areas where they have TV license.

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Separately, work on Google Fiber has been suspended. It was scheduled to come to San Jose & Santa Clara, CA but that's now on hold

http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/26/google-fiber-suspended-in-san-jose-and-most-other-planned-cities-alphabet-unit-ceo-quits/

AT&T isn't properly supporting U-verse TV (read U-verse TV Forum for numerous complaints), because it wants the service to die and be replaced by DirecTV- even though many folks can't receive satellite TV service (lack line of sight to the satellite or live in a condo complex which doesn't permit dish antennas on the roof). According to Leichtman Research Group, AT&T's U-verse service lost 1.36 million subscribers in 2016 as AT&T shifted marketing toward its DirecTV satellite TV service. PROOF: DirecTV added 1.2 million customers last year and all the TV commercials/other ads promote DirecTV rather than U-Verse for TV service. Very disappointing for existing U-Verse TV customers!

Anyone watch AT&T's DirecTV commercials during NCAA basketball playoffs?

AT&T isn't properly supporting U-verse TV (read U-verse TV Forum for numerous complaints), because it wants the service to die and be replaced by DirecTV- even though many folks can't receive satellite TV service (lack line of sight to the satellite or live in a condo complex which doesn't permit dish antennas on the roof). According to Leichtman Research Group, AT&T's U-verse service lost 1.36 million subscribers in 2016 as AT&T shifted marketing toward its DirecTV satellite TV service. PROOF: DirecTV added 1.2 million customers last year and all the TV commercials/other ads promote DirecTV rather than U-Verse for TV service. Very disappointing for existing U-Verse TV customers!

I had Directv for years and got so tired of the service going out with a threat of weather.  I hated it and will not go back to it

AT&T doesn't realize how precarious satellite TV service is.  1st, you need line of sight- no trees overhead.  2nd is bad weather knocking out service.  3rd is that condo complexes will not permit dish antennas on the roof of your condo unit as it's against the HOA CC&Rs (reference: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-are-convenants-conditions-restrictions-ccrs-hoas.html)

...condo complexes will not permit dish antennas on the roof of your condo unit as it's against the HOA CC&Rs

Incorrect.  See this FCC summary.