DirecTV (officially trademarked and stylized as DIRECTV) is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider based in El Segundo, California and is jointly owned by AT&T and TPG Capital. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, the Americas, and the Caribbean.
Its primary competitors are Dish Network, Xfinity and Spectrum. On July 24, 2015, after receiving approval from the United States Federal Communications Commission and United States Department of Justice, AT&T acquired DirecTV in a transaction valued at $67.1 billion. On August 2, 2021, DirecTV was separated from AT&T and became a separate entity, but was still partially owned by AT&T and TPG Capital.
Hughes Electronics[]
1985–1990[]
DirecTV was originally founded in 1985 as Hughes Electronics.
In 1990, Hughes Electronics was renamed as DirecTV. This would be the only DirecTV logo not to use the 1993 "D" design until 2015.
The logo was made by Pittard Sullivan, being the agency's first logo.
1993–2015[]
1993–2005, 199?-present (satellite dishes)[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Univers 55 Roman (Direc, modified) Univers 75 Black (TV, modified)
Launched:
1993 June 17, 1994 (satellite TV service)
In 1993, DirecTV introduced its now-iconic "D" logo. This design would continue to be used in several modified forms until AT&T acquired in 2015.
DirecTV launched the satellite television service on June 17, 1994. The logo was used at the company's headquarters in El Segundo, CA until July 3, 2013, when it was updated to the 2011 logo (although as of November 2021, the "D" symbol alone, albeit inverted, still appears outside its headquarters near the entrance). It's also still in use on some satellite dishes.
On January 31, 2005, the edges of the "D" symbol became rounded, and both sides of it were colored different shades of blue; the wordmark's font was also changed.
This logo is still used on some remote models and satellite dishes. It's also still used on outdated firmware today, if not updated.
2008–2011[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
FF DIN (Direc) FF DIN Black (TV)
Launched:
February 27, 2008
2011–2015, 2011-present (satellite dishes)[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
FF DIN Bold
Launched:
September 2010 (reveal)
April 1, 2011 (official)
On April 1, 2011, the logo adopted a more three-dimensional look, and the wordmark's typeface was changed again to be fully bold and less spaced out (this first appeared with DirecTV Cinema a year prior). Also, the width of the inside of the "D" symbol was reduced.
This logo is also still seen on some satellite dishes.
2015[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
FF DIN Bold
Launched:
July 24, 2015
After AT&T completed its acquisition of DirecTV on July 24, 2015, the "D" symbol was removed, leaving only the wordmark from the previous logo. This was short-lived, only lasting for less than a year.
December 2, 2015 (reveal) January 1, 2016 (official)
On December 2, 2015 (11 days before the redesigned globe was introduced to AT&T itself), a new logo was unveiled by placing the newly-updated and inverted AT&T Globe next to the 2011 DirecTV wordmark, this time in solid black. It officially took effect on January 1, 2016, only a few months after AT&T first purchased DirecTV. On February 25, 2021, AT&T announced that it would spin-off DirecTV, U-verse and AT&T TV into a separate entity, selling a 30% stake to TPG Capital while retaining a 70% stake in the new standalone company. The deal was completed on August 2, 2021.
As of November 2021, the Globe still appears on its headquarters, along with AT&T branding, likely since the company is still associated with the latter in some way.
2021–present[]
Designer:
Compadre
Typography:
FF DIN Bold
Launched:
August 2, 2021
On August 2, 2021, following the completed deal, DirecTV removed the AT&T globe from its logo following its spin-off. The 2011 wordmark also received a split, with the bottom of the "DIREC" section, as well as the entire "TV" section, in blue.
On September 30th 2024, DirecTV announced their plan to buy Dish Network and Sling TV from EchoStar, with the deal expected to go through in the 4th quarter of 2025; On the same day, AT&T announced that it would selling a 70% stake to TPG Capital, with the deal expected to go through in the 2nd quarter of 2025.
