AT&T announced a $49 billion deal to buy DirecTV over the weekend, and what caught our eye was the analysts' focus on content delivery companies seeking ancillary services to deliver to customers.

Of the deal, the New York Times noted, "Still, the company has been trying to compensate for slowing growth in its own core businesses, including by moving into home security offerings and mobile data for cars."

Similarly, USA Today observed: "By folding satellite-TV service into its broad telecom portfolio -- wireless, phone and fiber-optic broadband and TV -- AT&T will be in an ideal position to create varied bundled packages to sell more options at its 2,300 retail stores and thousands of dealers and agents. It can sell wireless contracts with land-line broadband Internet, and package them with TV programming and other ancillary services, such as home security."

At least one retail provider, Direct Energy, offers a plan bundling DirecTV with energy supply.

Obviously, Comcast, another media giant now seeking to consolidate with Time Warner Cable, has dipped its toe into retail energy with its Energy Rewards partnership with NRG Energy