There are rumours that a merger is on the cards - Have a look at this article in TV Predications.
There are a couple of points that interested me. Firstly, the argument that the merger would be approved because of greater competition from other delivery channels, IPTV in particular. It wasn't long ago that satellite TV was overwhelming dominant and this argument would not have held any water. There is a similar trend in the UK, where the digital terrestrial TV "Freeview" now matches the penetration of BskyB.
The most interesting thing for me is a case of deja vu! Anyone remember ASkyB? ASkyB was meant to be the American jewel in the crown of a global network of Sky broadcasting platforms. The ASkyB project was well advanced, although not on air, when it started a deal to merge with Echostar. This deal eventually unraveled, but the rumor was that Charlie Ergen and Rupert Murdoch could not agree who would run the show. I wonder if they can come to an arrangement this time round?
