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DirecTV to raise prices for satellite TV in 2014

DirecTV to raise prices for satellite TV in 2014

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DirecTV logo

DirecTV customers, your monthly bill is about to get slightly more expensive. The satellite provider will be raising prices across various tiers of service by an average of 3.7 percent in February. The slight bump isn't out of the ordinary for DirecTV; as Variety points out, the company has raised prices each year for the past decade. (Cable providers aren't exempt from the trend, either.) For 2014, those changes work out like this: the Entertainment tier will increase from $54.99 to $57.99, though existing subscribers will pay $56.99. Choice tier customers will now pay $66.99 instead of $64.99; Xtra will jump from $70.99 to $73.99, with Ultimate now $81.99 rather than $77.99. DirecTV's all-inclusive Premier tier will increase from $124.99 to $129.99.

The company maintains it has little choice but to introduce price hikes in response to rising programming fees from content providers and television networks. Still, DirecTV insists it's not sticking its customers with undue charges. ”In 2014, the programming fees we pay to the owners of these television channels will increase about 8 percent, but DirecTV is adjusting the average prices our customers pay by less than half of that amount,” a spokesperson told Variety. If you're not thrilled by the changes, there's always the option of cutting the cord entirely. Before taking that step, you may want to try calling DirecTV's retentions department. The company's customer service reps may be able to make you an offer that dampens the pain of those higher prices, which go into effect February 6th.