DirecTV for Small Businesses

DirecTV is a leading provider of digital television entertainment services in the United States and worldwide. The company's roots go back to the development of the satellite communications industry and it has seen substantial changes over the years.

In 2006, to serve the information and entertainment needs of small businesses, Verizon began to offer DirecTV, all-digital, multi-channel satellite television to its small-business customers across all industries. Satellite television programming could be used many ways on site. For businesses with customer waiting rooms, DirecTV service enlivened the atmosphere, entertained customers, and reduced perceived waiting times, which helped improve customer satisfaction. For bars and restaurants, the quality and variety of DirecTV programming helped bring in new customers. Video programming added to the business atmosphere, bringing national and local news, weather and traffic reports when needed. Verizon offered its small-business customers several Direct TV programming packages tailored to their customer-base. For customers in the restaurant industry, Verizon offered the Commercial Choice Plus package, including five ESPN channels, regional sports networks, and local channels at a rate that depends on the number of viewers. Small-business customers that were not focused on generating revenue from the sale of food and beverage, such as a real estate agency or a doctor's office, could sign up for a complete package with over eighty channels that included sports, news, and entertainment programming.

History of DirecTV

• 1990: DirecTV was formed as a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics Corporation, a unit of GM (General Motors).
• 1994: DirecTV began broadcasting in the U.S, offering 175 channels and quickly emerging as a competitor to cable television providers.
• 2003: News Corporation bought a controlling interest in DirecTV's parent company Hughes.
• 2006: DirecTV started offering local high-definition channels to consumers, starting a trend of technological improvements that would continue for years.
• 2008: Liberty Media acquires control of DirecTV from News Corporation.
• 2010: DirecTV launched its first 3D channels, making them a pioneer in providing 3D television programming.
• 2014: AT&T announced its intent to acquire DirecTV in a deal worth $48.5 billion. This deal brought together AT&T's telecommunications offerings and DirecTV's pay-TV business.
• 2015: The AT&T-DirecTV merger was completed, making DirecTV a part of one of the biggest telecommunications companies in the world.
• 2020: AT&T announced that it would be phasing out the DirecTV name as part of its rebranding efforts to unify its media content under the AT&T brand.

Over the years, DirecTV has been a pioneer in many ways, not only in the number of channels they offered but also in terms of technological innovations. They were one of the first providers to offer a DVR (digital video recorder) service, enabling customers to record, pause, and rewind live TV. They were also an early leader in offering HD (High Definition) and 4K content.

DirecTV has continued to improve its services over the years, adding features such as on-demand programming and improving the user interface of their digital services. Additionally, they've expanded their offerings to include DirecTV Now (later rebranded as AT&T TV Now), a streaming service that doesn't require a satellite dish.