AT&T To Buy DIRECTV for $67 Billion

[AntiMoz]

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles...68360?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories&mg=reno64-wsj

 

[Jimbo]

Fwiw, Directv and ATT have had a working partnership since 2008.

ATT offers Directv to all subs looking for TV, particularly in areas where ATT Uverse TV is not yet available.

 

[mike123abc]

AT&T wants to buy DIRECTV!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...adqb8ulT0zANQZngQ&sig2=ms3NHo5CE0YkyFTIWl8Ofg

Probably a paid article, but I am sure all the other sources will have it tomorrow:

AT&T T +0.79% has approached DirecTV DTV +1.32% about a possible acquisition of the satellite TV firm, say people familiar with the situation, the latest sign of a possible shakeup in the television industry.

A combination of AT&T with satellite TV firm DirecTV would create a pay television giant close in size to where Comcast Corp. CMCSA +0.41% will be if it completes its pending acquisition of Time Warner Cable. TWC +0.09%

DirecTV is the second biggest pay TV operator, serving about 20 million customers, while AT&T's landline-based TV business serves about 5.7 million. The nearly 26 million subscribers served by the combined company would compare with Comcast which—with TWC—would serve close to 30 million subscribers.

A deal would likely be worth at least $40 billion, DirecTV's current market capitalization, a fraction of AT&T's $185 billion market capitalization.

AT&T declined to comment. DirecTV declined to comment

 

[mike123abc]

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/30/wsj-rumor-att-directv/?ncid=rss_truncated

Engadget article

 

[Jimbo]

More about that here:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...ched-by-AT-amp-T-about-a-possible-acquisition

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

Looks like a thread merging is in order.

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

Since I already have DIRECTV & ATT 6.0 Fast DSL,& hopefully ATT will introduce 1gbps internet to my area,I have no problem with this. People with U-Verse TV will get NFL Sunday Ticket. It'll be interesting to see how,if this proposed merger is approved & does go through,the Genie will be modified & introduced to U-Verse TV. A future single Genie model that can either be hooked up to a satellite set-up or a U-Verse telephony set-up.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Threads Merged.

 

[dangue]

If this is approved, it'll be difficult not to also approve the comcast twc merger. Direct and att compete in some markets twc and comcast don't.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

If this is approved, it'll be difficult not to also approve the comcast twc merger. Direct and att compete in some markets twc and comcast don't.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

I really don't see a downside to DIRECTV & AT&T merging. As far as Comcast & TMC merging,it won't affect where I live since neither companies are in my town. Maybe this proposed merger will give AT&T the excuse to finally shed their land line & DSL markets,while keeping only their U-Verse & wireless businesses. As long as they DO bring 1 gbps internet to where I live.......

 

[goaliebob99]

I wonder how this would work out in century link areas. Rumor from my local group of fiber installers is that in areas that dont have Prisim TV, century link is going to install fiber and get them on board and drop the directv contract. I dont know how true that is considering it came from an installer on the street and to retrofit copper would be a major expense in some areas.

This would certainly trump Charlie's vision of becoming a triple play provider as if this happened, DirecTV would instantly be able to provide a triple play service at a lower cost. Also, would ATT dump uverse tv? and go strictly with Directv? That additional bandwidth no longer needed for TV could help compete against Cable providers, but... Google is coming quick and they wont be able to compete at all with Google and Docsis 3.1 coming, unless they do some FTTH installs and actually employ the gigafiber speeds.

Cox is planning on doing 3.1 trials at the end of this year with Comcast. The specs on it are amazing. 10 gigs down 1 gig up. I think the issue is finding the 24mhz of free space required to do it on some systems. I would like to see how this plays out as virgin media was able to do 1.5 gigs down and 150 megs up on 3.0 and that certainly would hold google fiber at bay for the moment. I hope this all leads to pricing wars ultimately driving down the price of the internet.

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

would ATT dump uverse tv?

I see AT&T having both satellite & U-Verse tv just like Shaw Direct has both cable & satellite TV in Canada,IF they merge with Directv. They'll for sure drop POTS & maybe DSL.

 

[goaliebob99]

I see AT&T having both satellite & U-Verse tv just like Shaw Direct has both cable & satellite TV in Canada,IF they merge with Directv. They'll for sure drop POTS & maybe DSL.

Cant drop DSL. Uverse uses VDSL.

 

[Jimbo]

If this is approved, it'll be difficult not to also approve the comcast twc merger. Direct and att compete in some markets twc and comcast don't.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

I think this is because of the Concast/TWC merger ...

This change would happen well after the Comcast / TWC situation I would think.

 

[Jimbo]

I see AT&T having both satellite & U-Verse tv just like Shaw Direct has both cable & satellite TV in Canada,IF they merge with Directv. They'll for sure drop POTS & maybe DSL.

Cant drop DSL. Uverse uses VDSL.

Guys, the Uverse runs ON the landlines, landlines supply the Uverse, so I don't see landlines going anywhere, unless they drop the Uverse all together or find a way for the Uverse to go wireless from the VRAD ... which has been mentioned years ago, but haven't heard anything since.

 

[goaliebob99]

Guys, the Uverse runs ON the landlines, landlines supply the Uverse, so I don't see landlines going anywhere, unless they drop the Uverse all together or find a way for the Uverse to go wireless from the VRAD ... which has been mentioned years ago, but haven't heard anything since.

Wireless uverse is not going to happen like that. They would be better off running fiber the last mile instead of using copper / VDSL. There are areas of uverse (newer sub divisions) where fiber is already ran to the home.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

AT&T is already dropping UVERSE here in Connecticut.

 

[maestro7]

AT&T is already dropping UVERSE here in Connecticut.

I was pretty sure this was due to the fact that AT&T sold northeastern lines to Frontier...

 

[Tampa8]

AT&T IS getting out of the landline business, and eventually out of Uverse. They are leaving places now where the State has made it hard for them to transition out of Landlines such as Connecticut, unlike Illinois that is facilitating them being able to to it.

AT&T is leaving Ct for all services except of course wireless. Frontier has agreed not only to take over both landlines and Uverse, but is granted permission to expand to something like 27 other States including being the provider of Uverse in those States.

It would ceratainly appear to me that AT&T only wants the Wireless business, and would like to be a carrier and Direct TV is the target. Keeping Uverse is not their choice because it involves keeping landlines. I know for certain, from two people I now work with who are former long time lineman for At&T that they have systematically reduced all aspects of service, maintenance, and even marketing of Landlines for quite sometime now.
Of all the rumors of mergers involving one or the other Satellite company, this one I believe may have legs.

 

[Plywodstatebum]

So will this stop any further Satellites being launched if AT&T takes over?