Dish Direct, the partnership of the two big satellite television systems providers, Dish and DirecTV, represents a number of providers all over the United States each offering exclusive deals with both systems. Customers are given top of the line services as well as program and packaging choices, all at competitive rates. Customers are given the option of going with either DirecTV or Dish Network purely based on the suitableness of their respective program packages.

With a total customer base reaching upwards of ten to twelve million in the United States, as well as other smaller numbers of consumers living in Central America, the DirecTV Group is organized into four divisions, each with particular corporate emphases—some of which have gone on to facilitate Dish Direct. Tech support, being the important issue that is for home satellite television users that is, very rapidly advanced a number of key partnership choices with big companies like AOL, Microsoft, as well as TiVo in order to boost the numbers of customers that have signed up dramatically.

DirecTV is trying different methods of increasing their local programming markets as well. For many customers this is an important issues simply because they want to access to local channel programming and many times it is only available through cable companies. But this has been slowly changing as DirecTV has expanded the availability of satellites that can actually pick up these local stations more easily than more standard models do.

On the other side of the Dish Direct coin, you have the more recently established Dish Network. Established in 1996 by veteran satellite distributor EchoStar, the company currently resides in Englewood, Colorado. From that point onward, Dish Network has grown to stand just below DirecTV both in shear variety of services available and in the volume of its customer base—in this case, around eight million. With nine satellites currently at its disposal, Dish Network offer several hundred video channels and audio programs. Besides these, you can actually get internet services, and the innovative high definition television or HDTV. Like DirecTV, you also access interactive television program like those provided by TiVo.

Through Dish Direct, you will have access to DirecTV and Dish Network. But it is important to realize that both need similar equipment in order to operate at all.  Standard components include: a satellite receiver, the dish, and system access cards. Different choices like whether you are intending to use Digital Video Recording (DVR), standard satellite TV or High Definition (HD) determine the options and each service will require a different and separate dish in order to facilitate the programming you desire. You can buy DirecTV dish and other equipment for prices ranging between $50 and $200. Dish Network offers equipment installation at reduced rates—even free—depending upon various sales promotions.