DirecTV Ordered to Stop Anti-Charter Ads
May 13, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Business
Charter Communications, a provider for telephone, high-speed internet and cable TV services, has had a rough time recently. They are struggling to survive and even filed bankruptcy. Competitor DirecTV has decided to capitalize on Charter’s struggles by running a series of ads that highlight Charter’s bankruptcy filing.
On Wednesday, Charter got some relief from those ads when a judge ordered DirecTV to cease running the anti-Charter ads. While this is just a temporary order to cease, it’s viewed by industry experts as a victory for Charter.
The ruling was made by Judge Rodney W. Sippel, a United States District judge in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. Charter charged that DirecTV’s ads were misleading and false and the judge apparently agreed.
Since going public approximately a decade ago, Charter has yet to turn a profit. The ads in question were ran on the radio, in print, on billboards and via direct mail deliveries.
DirecTV Satellite (Image: Flickr)
