New York CNN —DirecTV announced Monday it’s buying rival Dish Network, ending multiple decades of on-and-off talks about the satellite services merging. The agreement provides DirecTV and Dish with greater scale, a DirecTV spokesperson told CNN. The newly merged DirecTV-Dish entity will continue to support the Dish brand for the foreseeable future, the DirecTV spokesperson said. DirecTV does not currently have plans to make changes to the existing Dish or Sling TV brands, meaning that current Dish customers should not be concerned about being forced over to DirecTV. The deal also strengthens the duo’s foothold in the industry, allowing them to more easily compete with pay TV rivals and streaming services.

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Persons: Charlie Ergen, Mike White, Echostar, Hughes, ’ Organizations: New, New York CNN, DirecTV, Dish Network, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon’s, Dish, ”, TPG, T, CNN, Disney, Hughes Electronics, EchoStar Corporation, Bloomberg, General Motors, Monday, Antitrust Locations: New York