But there's another clear aim for DirecTV: getting more leverage over content providers. AdvertisementLike all pay-TV providers, DirecTV has been crushed by cord-cutting for the last decade or more. The satellite titan hopes to stem the tide by offering skinnier, genre-based bundles and streaming services at no extra cost, though industry observers doubt those moves can reverse declines. AdvertisementDirecTV may need to fight to surviveDirecTV has a survival plan: It wants to become the ultimate middleman between content providers and consumers. AdvertisementBut there's a space between bullying and collaboration, which is where the relationship between TV distributors and programmers usually stands.

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Persons: —, Corey Martin, It's, Jon Greer, Venu, Bill Morrow, Morrow, Greer Organizations: DirecTV, Dish, Service, Dish Network, TPG, Disney, ESPN, ABC, Comcast, Granderson Des Rochers's Entertainment Finance, Sports, Hulu