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Vrio (formerly DirecTV Latin America) is an American operator of DirecTV Latin America and is a subsidiary of AT&T Latin America. It produces TV content, and owns several TV channels. It is one of Latin America's most popular pay TV services^[2] along with Claro TV.^[3]

History

DirecTV SF6 2-LNB "Round" satellite dish only in Latin America

SKY Mexico was founded on July 25, 1996, a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), News Corporation, Liberty Media and Grupo Televisa and was later launched on December 15, 1996. By May 2000, the company had extended throughout the rest of Latin America, launching in Central America, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia but during Argentina's economic crisis, on July, 10 2002, with over 52,000 subscribers, Sky Argentina ceased all operations.^[4]
During the course of the decade, most Sky operations in Latin America were rebranded to DIRECTV, with the exception of the Mexican and Brazilian operations, that in 2005 absorbed the DirecTV keeping the Sky name.^[5]

DirecTV Chile

The Chilean subsidiary of Vrio, which is a television system broadcast through satellite, which has operated in the country since 1994. DIRECTV bought SKY Chile and renamed it DIRECTV. It signed an agreement with GTD Manquehue to offer full telephone, television, and internet services throughout the country.

• During the second quarter of 2011, the company was positioned as the second fastest growing pay TV company in Chile, registering 23.8% of the total market.


• In 2012, the company led the pay TV market with an 18.7% market share.


• Between 2012 and 2015, DIRECTV Chile received the "Consumer Loyalty" award NPS.


• Between December 2012 and March 2013, the company was consolidated as the first paid television company that has grown the most in the country.


• Between 2011 and 2016, DIRECTV Chile received the National Customer Satisfaction Award ProCalidad as the best pay TV service.

In 2012, it made an agreement with Club Deportivo Universidad Católica to carry the brand name DirecTV on their jerseys. In 2015, it made an agreement with Colo-Colo to also carry the DIRECTV logo.

• 
  2012 - Club Deportivo Universidad Católica
  


• 
  2014 - Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile
  


• 
  2015 - Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo
  

Illegal placement of advertisement

On January 19, 2016, the Secretary of Environment of Bogotá, sanctioned DIRECTV Colombian subsidiary, Directv Colombia Ltda., with a sum of $118 million for placing advertisement without the proper permission from the city.^[6] The company violated Decree 959, of the year 2000, that regulates where companies can place public publicity.

Aborted public offering and Name change

On September 15, 2017, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources, that AT&T, the owner of DIRECTV's U.S. and Latin American divisions, had hired an advisor to consider offering DIRECTV Latin America on the public stock market. The principal motive was cited as the need to reduce the debt load AT&T would assume if it took over Time Warner as planned. Since that date, the U.S. Dept. of Justice filed suit to block that acquisition on antitrust grounds, a trial is scheduled to start on March 19, 2018 before Judge Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and a decision is not expected before June–July. However, even if the deal is blocked, AT&T might dispose of the division as not core to its business.^[7] On April 19, 2018, the IPO was cancelled.

As of 2018, DirecTV Latin America have been renamed to Vrio.^[8]

References