Two years ago, DIRECTV announced a planned separation from AT&T, and a lot was accomplished since renewing the status as a standalone company. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the culture that has been built.
A New Brand Identity With Familiar Faces
Immediately following the separation, DIRECTV unveiled a new brand identity and introduced DIRECTV STREAM as the virtual counterpart to traditional video service. This was launched with a new campaign, Get Your TV Together, featuring Serena Williams in a series of spots, and then baseball legends Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson as The Goatbusters, and most recently, Dak Prescott with Bravo’s Real Housewives: Teresa Giudice, Kenya Moore and Kyle Richards. This past spring, DIRECTV unveiled a new advertising campaign featuring actor Brian Cox reinforcing that only DIRECTV delivers TV without compromise, and a new familiar face will be extending this campaign in the very new future.
Experiences That Raise the Bar
While the new DIRECTV brand has certainly stood out over the two years, the main focus is on delivering the best video entertainment experience. The introduction of NFL RedZone and NFL Network through DIRECTV Sports Pack, as well as Spectrum SportsNet LA , alongside continuing to provide the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks to fans despite a shifting landscape of regional sports networks are just part of the major wins recently.
Additional program partnerships include the launch and nationwide availability of PBS for DIRECTV STREAM customers coupled with support of a nationwide PBS documentary showcasing freedom fighters Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas. Also, more streaming platforms are delivered directly to customers at a discount including Peacock and Discovery+ with more additions on the way.
Going to Bat for Customers
To ensure customers aren’t hit with unnecessary price increases, DIRECTV has gone toe-to-toe with programmers to manage the increases in programming costs from Fox, Newsmax, and others. In addition, DIRECTV has rolled-out industry first capabilities like SignalSaver ensuring a backup connection for live viewing for customers in a temporary satellite outage. Also, new sports features give consumers more confidence in catching every play from their favorite teams with more on the horizon.
Recent sponsorships including World Baseball Classic and Soccer Champions Tour give these features additional attention.
Keeping Businesses Connected
The DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS team has kept the foot on the gas for the past two years signing marquee agreements with sports leagues to continue to deliver live sports to over 300,000 commercial establishments across the U.S. Some of the more widely celebrated agreements have included NFL Thursday Night Football, NFL Sunday Ticket, YES Network and exclusive commercial distribution of MLS Season Pass and Friday Night Baseball. In addition to securing content, DIRECTV is now available on Southwest Airlines and most of the major carriers in the USA and deeper in the hospitality space through new and more extensive agreements with Hyatt, Marriott and Netflix as well as 170,000+ rooms managed by Aimbridge Hospitality (May 2023).
Developing a New Culture to Match
Alongside separating from AT&T, DIRECTV also introduced an entirely new culture with three pillars: We Care, We Challenge and We Deliver. These cultural pillars championed by employees, leading to the acclaimed certification as a Most Loved Workplace by the Best Practices Institute.
Part of this cultural commitment is not to just care, challenge and deliver for employees, but also to support important communities like the military. Several of our military-focused efforts since separation include a partnership with Military Makeover hosted by Montel Williams, development and support for the S.A.V.E. – Suicide Awareness Veterans Engaged panel and sponsoring the Military Basketball Association’s first-televised finals.
And that’s just a part of the community support the company provides.
This past June, 500+ employees donated more than 1,000 hours at more than 30 volunteer events across the U.S. as part of DIRECTV Day. The majority of the volunteer activities occurred at DIRECTV’s strategic charity partner, Ronald McDonald House. This relationship kicked off last fall by delivering access to DIRECTV at a steep discount to houses nationwide, providing the comforts of home to families when they can’t be home.
The partnership with RMHC has led to many exciting happenings, including a 2023 Sundance Film Festival private screening, multiple in-person events to fill welcome bags for arriving families at houses across the country, and suprising a family who has provided significant support for RMHC Phoenix with tickets to the 2023 Super Bowl, while also sponsoring the American Cornhole League Celebrity Tournament with Tyler Lockett playing for RMHC.
All of this in just two years, just imagine what’s next. Stay close to DIRECTV Insider to keep up on the latest news, entertainment and more.
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