DirecTV could help turn AT&T into a media streaming superpower

Now that Netflix has proven how incredibly lucrative the market for streaming movies and television shows is, everyone and their mother wants a piece of the action. Dish already has Sling TV while both Comcast and Verizon will introduce their own streaming services by the end of the year, but now that AT&T has received the approval it needs to acquire DirecTV, the telecom giant is in an excellent position to introduce the biggest streaming service of them all. 

That’s one of the most important questions people in Hollywood should consider now that the FCC and Justice Department are poised to give a green light to AT&T’s $48.5 billion deal to buy DirecTV. There’s a free-for-all as companies strive to connect with the fast-growing ranks of consumers who watch TV shows, movies and other content on their smartphones and tablets — especially as Nielsen measures those views. Verizon plans to launch a streaming service by the end of this summer. Dish Network recently introduced Sling TV and is amassing wireless licenses to build — well, it’s not clear yet what CEO Charlie Ergen has in mind. And the cable guys are trying to figure out what they can do with their patchwork of public Wi-Fi hot spots. AT&T can muscle its way to the head of that chaotic pack. It had 12.6 million wireless broadband customers at the end of March and 6 million homes receiving video from U-verse’s wired service. With DirecTV, it picks up 20.4 million homes that depend on the No. 1 satellite service for video.