Transition to ATSC 3.0 will incur 'heavy' costs for DirecTV, as stated.
In an August 12, 2025, letter to the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau, the American Television Alliance (ATA), representing DirecTV's interests, highlighted the significant obstacles the satellite provider faces in transitioning to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0.
The main challenges include the incompatibility of DirecTV's current satellite receivers with ATSC 3.0 signals. Replacing all existing set-top boxes to make them compatible would be cost-prohibitive, with the total cost for DirecTV's nationwide operations estimated at approximately $15 million.
Another issue is the satellite technology used by DirecTV. The provider uses frequency "spot beams" allocated for current ATSC 1.0 signals, and these beams cannot be repointed to carry additional ATSC 3.0 signals. This means DirecTV does not have the capacity to carry both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 signals simultaneously.
Regarding potential solutions, the ATA acknowledged that the ATSC is developing standards for the distribution of ATSC 3.0 signals to multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), including fiber delivery and conversion of 3.0 signals into formats usable by MVPDs (like DirecTV). However, these standards are still in candidate stages, implying solutions are not fully established yet.
The ATA's letter also highlighted the high cost and limited supply of ATSC 3.0 receivers as major concerns for DirecTV's nationwide operations. The total cost for ATSC 3.0 receivers compatible with DirecTV's system is approximately $8,000 per feed (primary and multicast feeds).
Imposing costs on DirecTV for the ATSC 3.0 transition would be onerous, while spreading the cost among the nearly 1,500 broadcast stations would yield a more manageable financial responsibility for each entity. The ATA emphasized the financial burden and lack of benefits for DirecTV in the ATSC 3.0 transition in their letter to the FCC.
[1] [Source 1] [2] [Source 2]
- The American Television Alliance (ATA), representing DirecTV's interests, pointed out the financial burden DirecTV faces in transitioning to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0, as the replacement of all existing set-top boxes with compatible ones would costs approximately $15 million.
- DirecTV's satellite technology poses another challenge, as the provider's frequency "spot beams" allocated for current ATSC 1.0 signals cannot be repointed to carry additional ATSC 3.0 signals, impeding simultaneous transmission of both formats.
- Potential solutions, like standards for the distribution of ATSC 3.0 signals to multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) via fiber delivery or conversion of 3.0 signals into formats usable by MVPDs, are still in candidate stages, and thus, not fully established.
- The ATA also raised concerns about the high cost and limited supply of ATSC 3.0 receivers, with the total cost for those compatible with DirecTV's system estimated at approximately $8,000 per feed (primary and multicast feeds).
- The ATA expressed that imposing costs on DirecTV for the ATSC 3.0 transition would be onerous, while spreading the cost among the nearly 1,500 broadcast stations would result in a more manageable financial responsibility for each entity.
- In their letter to the FCC, the ATA highlighted the significant obstacles DirecTV faces in transitioning to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0, emphasizing the financial burden and lack of benefits for DirecTV in the ATSC 3.0 transition, and proposing the distribution of costs among broadcast stations as a more feasible solution.
