DIRECTV has gained control over a significant portion of its installation and home service network following the completion of transactions with 180 Connect, Inc.

 

In a related transaction, UniTek USA acquired 180 Connect’s cable services operating unit and certain DIRECTV installation services, in exchange for both a sum in cash and UniTek’s satellite installation services in New York, Burbank CA (News - Alert) and Bloomington CA.

 

DIRECTV is a satellite television service provider, serving more than 17 million customers in the U.S. with 95 national high definition (HD) channels.

 

180 Connect is a provider of installation, integration and fulfillment services to the home entertainment, communications and home integration service industries in North America.

 

UniTek USA is a provider of engineering, construction management and installation fulfillment services to companies specializing in the telecommunications, broadband cable, cellular and satellite industries.

 

“With the close of the 180 Connect agreement, we’ve taken an important step toward developing the best installation network in the industry and further enhancing customer satisfaction,” said Mike Palkovic, executive vice president, Operations, DIRECTV, in a statement. “Improving the service experience for our customers is as important as anything we do on the technology and content side of our business and we believe we will now be in a stronger position to better understand and meet the challenges of providing a high-quality experience for our customers.”

 

Before this acquisition DIRECTV had outsourced all its installation service operations through 12 home service provider companies. But now it has gained control of one of its largest installation and home service providers and is transitioning approximately 3,200 employees in 46 U.S. market locations, throughout California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Arkansas, Virginia, Hawaii, Western Pennsylvania and New Jersey.