The pull of home security systems doesn’t seem to lose grip as more and more companies jump onto the bandwagon. The latest to join the brigade is DirecTV. The satellite TV giant has obtained , a self-installed Wireless Digital Security Systems company based in Langhorne, PA.
Brad Bentley, senior vice president at DirecTV said that they wish to fully integrate the home security technology with the DirecTV video experience, which is why they needed to acquire a company altogether instead of partnering with one. The sales of DirecTV will begin in the first months of 2014. The protection 1, which currently provides monitoring for , will continue to do so for DirecTV as well.
DirecTV has a huge customer base and is a well-establishedbrand in America. It adds 3.5 to 4 million new customers each year and has at least 1,000 dealers and 2,500 sales agents. Bentley believes this will provide DirecTV a significant funnel to take care of the sales of their as well. In addition to that, DirecTV is set to make sure that all of their technicians will be specially trained to provide services and maintenance for their home security offerings so that the customers will continue to enjoy the same level of service experience DirecTV has offered in the past.
Home security will be available to all customers of DirecTV, including those who move to other services. Many DirecTV customers do not currently have home security service and are set to directly benefit from this deal. However, those who already have DirecTV or LifeShield will receive more “features and functionality,” as DirecTV and tends to make their services a notch above the competition.
Mike Hagan, CEO, LifeShield, will continue to head the home security department for DirecTV and report to Bentley. LifeShield’s mix of a crate product and a strong management team is what impressed the director of the executives and helped finalize this deal.
With this deal, DirecTV has become the newest cable TV company to step into home security, which happens to be a hot market right now. Earlier, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and almost every other telecom company have forayed into home security. In addition to cable and telecom companies, others such as Polaroid, the camera company, have also joined. While this significantly raises the competition for DirecTV, consumers are definitely not complaining. Healthy competition is always a good thing, and consumers are set to receive much more features and benefits that could help them keep their homes safe and secure.
Tim Eveler
Author & Public Relations – Tim has been working in sales for the home security system industry over twelve years. He’s held positions at large home security companies and in charge of working with the team to create our security system reviews.