Rival satellite TV providers DirecTV, Dish band together to sell interactive advertising spots

Rivals DirecTV, Dish combine to sell TV ads

PHILADELPHIA — Satellite TV rivals DirecTV and Dish are banding together to sell interactive TV advertising nationally. Such ads let people use their remote controls to request information about products.

This comes after DirecTV and Dish Networks dropped lawsuits accusing each other of false advertising. Among other things, Dish had complained about DirecTV’s commercials for its high-definition channels. DirecTV had alleged that Dish misled viewers about price differences in their services.

Now by teaming up, the companies will let advertisers buy commercials as long as 15 minutes on dedicated channels on both satellite TV systems. Combined, Dish and DirecTV reach more than 30 million U.S. households.

Cable TV companies have been trying to do something similar for years.