DirecTV and Dish have agreed to combine in a deal that will create the biggest pay-TV provider in the US with about 18 million subscribers.Under the terms of the transaction, DirecTV will acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from EchoStar Corp.

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

The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, would create one of the largest pay-TV distributors in the U.S. The companies were blocked in an attempt to merge in 2002.