DirecTV is acquiring satellite rival Dish Network, creating by far the largest U.S. pay-TV operator. The two satellite companies, which have struggled in recent years due to cord-cutting and their innate inability to offer broadband services, have discussed coming together several times over the years.

DirecTV is buying Dish and Sling for $1 and the assumption of nearly $10 billion in debt, marking one of the biggest pay-TV mergers ever.

Satellite TV giant DirecTV and Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar said Monday that they have entered a definitive agreement under which DirecTV will acquire EchoStar’s video distribution business Dish DBS, including Dish TV and Sling TV,

The deal would provide a loan to Dish parent EchoStar Communications and also prompt the departure of AT&T from its ownership of DirecTV.

DirecTV is buying Dish and Sling, a deal it has sought to complete for years, as the company seeks to better compete against streaming services that have become dominant. DirecTV said Monday that it will acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that includes a payment of $1,

DirecTV promptly announces deal to acquire EchoStar’s video business that includes Dish TV and Sling TV, cementing a combination the two have sought for decades.

DirecTV announced Monday it’s buying rival Dish Network, ending multiple decades of on-and-off talks about the satellite services merging.

DirecTV said on Monday that it had agreed to acquire Dish Network, a deal that would create one of the largest pay-TV providers in the US.