At one time, DIRECTV had seven satellite locations in its US fleet. One by one, they’ve stopped providing DIRECTV service. DIRECTV has launched ever-bigger satellites, and they’ve had prime positions above the center of the country for about 15 years now. This has allowed them to stop broadcasting from locations like 72.5°, 95°, and 110°. They’ve consolidated all their broadcasting on the 99°, 101°, and 103° locations for the most part. While there are still some standard definition channels that broadcast from the 119° location, those same channels can be found in HD at other locations.
Way back in 2016
In 2016, DIRECTV announced that they were going to phase out all SD broadcasting. The goal was to be done with that by 2019. Well, it’s pretty charitable to say they didn’t hit that goal. They were only about a year late, but decided to pause things in 2020 for, well, you know.
However, in the last several months, they’ve gotten very aggressive in turning off standard definition service to several large markets. While they haven’t published a roadmap or set a time goal (smart move… this time) it’s expected that they will keep moving along until any SD channels with an HD equivalent is gone.
But, will that mean the 119 satellite will go dark? That’s a little more of a thorny question.
The facts
It’s been pointed out to me in another forum that the satellite in that location has enough fuel for about another ten years of life. When I published this article, I said that DIRECTV was moving away from programming on the 119 satellite. How can both things be true?
The simple fact is that there isn’t enough demand for standard definition programming at this point. There are still some customers who use dishes that won’t work with all of DIRECTV’s newer satellites. But, the economics of running a duplicate set of channels for those people are hard to really justify.
But yes, I do believe that satellite will live happily for another 10 years. It just won’t broadcast DIRECTV service. The 119 location is highly sought after by companies that want to broadcast to the Western US, Northern Mexico, and Southern Canada. DIRECTV can lease that capacity and make money, rather than operating channels that people may or may not want. It makes a lot more sense economically.
Best option: don’t play chicken with your TV service
If you’re getting standard definition service from the 119 satellite, or in fact if you’re depending on standard definition at all, now’s the time to upgrade. The experts at Signal Connect can help you make a change that makes sense to you. There are a lot of ways to upgrade at low or no cost to you, and we can help you with all of them. We can also help you choose the best provider for you, help with internet service and even cell service at the best rates possible.
Call the experts at 888-233-7563. We actually answer the phone, unlike most web sites. We’re here for you during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
