Posted on 05/16/2025 7:47:48 AM PDT by DFG
Charter Communications has agreed to merge with Cox Communications in a $34.5 billion deal that will combine two of the top three cable companies in the U.S.
Cox is the third-largest cable television company in the country, with more than 6.5 million digital cable, internet, telephone, and home security customers. It has a strong foothold in states spanning from California to Virginia. Charter Communications, known more widely as Spectrum, has more than 32 million customers in 41 states.
The cable industry has been under assault for years from streaming services like Disney, Netflix, Amazon and HBO Max, as well as internet plans offered by mobile phone companies. Comcast, which is of nearly equal size to Charter, spun off many of its cable television networks in November as as consumers increasingly swap out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms.
So-called "cord cutting" has cost the industry millions of customers and left them searching for ways to successfully compete.
Charter said Friday that it will acquire Cox Communications' commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud businesses. Cox Enterprises will contribute Cox Communications' residential cable business to Charter Holdings, an existing subsidiary partnership of Charter.
Cox Enterprises will own about 23% of the combined company's outstanding shares.
The transaction, which needs approval from Charter shareholders as well as regulators, includes $12.6 billion in debt.
The proposed deal is one of the largest in over a year. Mars' announced a $30 billion deal with Kellanova last summer and Exxon Mobil's approximately $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural happened in late 2023.
The combined company will change its name to Cox Communications within a year after closing. It will keep Charter's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and have a significant presence on Cox's Atlanta, Georgia campus following the closing.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
More DNCMedia mergers. They are/support known liars and woke politics to the detriment of Americans.
Antitrust is coming to life under Trump. I don’t see this going through.
I thought that Charter merged with Spectrum long ago?
Or maybe that was regional divisions.
I thought the customer service with Cox was bad enough already and now this?
These are dying industries—no point in beating a dead horse.
Nope, nothin’ to see here. No anti- trust or monopolistic shenanigans what so ever, nope.
Charter / Spectrum seemed an okay cable provider, until the last year we had it and they had multiple outages in our area.
A startup came into our neighborhood during that time and we went to it—zero problems and a much better throughput for the price.
We hadn’t used cable TV or anything for a large number of years, favoring streaming and a good antenna.
I really encourage everyone to dump cable providers, and told this to the Charter rep who recently came by our place to try to get us back.
I got him to chuckle.
GMTA
We have Cox internet right now but a couple weeks, Google fiber laid conduit in our neighborhood. I have a chance to double my speed while lowering my monthly bill by $40 per month. All our TV is streaming. YouTubeTV, Netfix etc. Saved about $40 per month going from Cox basic cable TV services to YouTubeTV.
A $35B deal ain’t no dying ember.
Ordinarily I would agree, but cable is a dying business and I don’t see multiple companies surviving in the current market where every year, they are worth less and less.
The nixed the Rite Aid merger with Walgreens and now a few years later Rite Aid is dead anyway.
I need to find a better deal. I had the whole package, cable, phone, security, cell phones.
My wife passed away last year and after a few months, I realized I don’t need all this and I was paying $320.
Went to just internet and I am down to $120 with Xfinity internet only. This makes me start right now to see if I can find a cheaper option.
You may be right. They may focus elsewhere.
Cox’s basic cable service was $110 per month. YouTubeTV is $70. It has all the channels that Cox does but the History Channel that we seasonally get via a $6 per month deal with FrndlyTV
I find myself watching youtube 75% of the time. I have no sue for any cable channels right now. I just want to lower my internet I use to view the streaming I do have. Right now, I am paying Xfinity over $100 a month...
They know they are losing cable customers. The focus will likely be on the internet pipe and putting out more fiber to replace coax, and other services.
The only way they can compete as a carrier is be the best most reliable on the pipe going into the home. Plus other services like wireless and business internet.
The announcement, says that CEI (Cox Enterprises) which owns Cox is getting a big chunk of money, and stock so technically its a sale and not a merger. If the deal closes then the Cox Communications as we know it will end legally. Charter will take the name only within a year after the deal is done. But the company will not be the same company from a legal standpoint.
This should not be allowed. Little competition and the price will only go way up.
#16 Go to Pluto TV https://pluto.tv
It is free and has the History, Modern marvels, Science, Mythbusters, Smithsonian etc. Pluto tv also has many news channels.
You can add the app to your streaming device. I use a Roku box. Go to Roku https://channelstore.roku.com/browse
Get Pluto tv, Youtube, Tubi. This will give you several hundred tv shows and thousands of episodes plus thousand of movies. FREE. There is also the free version of Sling tv.
The apps will be linked to your streaming device. I see them on my Roku and click on them then see all the shows. You can add your favorites so you do not have to scroll so much. You can also move the app tiles in the order you want.
Go to Youtube website and look for shows. You click on the Subscribe button and they show up in the free Youtube app on the Roku / streaming device..
Many more history shows on Youtube plus so much. I have at least a few dozen. Youtube will make suggestions and I tend to watch many of them as they are based on what I have subscribe to.
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