Perhaps we are have a better shot now. Time Warner was only a semi-visible corporation. AT&T is highly visible and therefore more sensitive to criticism.
Posted on 06/12/2018 1:49:31 PM PDT by Red Badger
AT&T announced that it was buying Time Warner for $85.4 billion in October 2016. The Justice Department sued last year to block the merger, citing concerns that AT&T, owner of satellite television provider DirecTV, could charge rival distributors more for Time Warner content, resulting in higher prices for consumers. The outcome of the trial could have implications for future deals in the telecom and media industries, as well as vertical mergers, where companies combine with their suppliers.
A federal judge said Tuesday that AT&T's $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner is legal, clearing the path for a deal that gives the pay-TV provider ownership of cable channels such as HBO and CNN as well as film studio Warner Bros.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon did not impose conditions on the merger's approval.
Shares of Time Warner jumped nearly 5 percent in extended trading. Shares of AT&T dropped more than 2 percent.
The Justice Department sued last year to block the merger, citing concerns that AT&T, owner of satellite television provider DirecTV, could charge rival distributors more for Time Warner content, resulting in higher prices for consumers. But AT&T has countered that the logic doesn't hold up since the point of owning content is to get widespread distribution, which brings in affiliate fees and advertising revenue.
The decision comes after a six-week trial.
AT&T, also the No. 2 wireless carrier in the U.S., said it was buying Time Warner in October 2016 to diversify its revenues and also become a media powerhouse that could attract consumers by bundling entertainment with mobile service. CEO Randall Stephenson has said the deal would help AT&T compete against tech giants like Amazon and Netflix, which are investing more in content.
The outcome of the trial will likely have implications for future deals in the telecom and media industries, as well as vertical mergers, where a company buys its supplier. Comcast has been eyeing a similar merger to combine production and distribution in a competing bid for Foxand was preparing to announce an offer as soon as Wednesday if Leon ruled in favor of AT&T in the trial, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Is that Judge Art Vandelay?
If ATT keeps CNN in its current form, will you drop your ATT cellular service?
(a) Yes, they can appeal it, but...
(b)How is this judge a "tyrant"? Because he allowed private companies to make a contract?
Oh please. That may happen, but not via this.
Given that all of Time Warner’s content is only a few percent of the content out there, any significant attempt to restrict sales would just be replaced by other existing and new content - possibly within hours. The anti-trust argument here isn’t just weak, or even meet the threshold of ridiculous. It’s simply asinine.
The tail here is sooo much bigger than the head - especially with several years of the internet’s existence. There is more non- TW content that you’d want to watch than you’d ever have time to do so.
Now THAT would be a monopoly issue.
Yeah, maybe I should bow out.
I was never good at understanding all the stuff those MBAs at my company were doing. Like when they made decisions that allowed me to retire 20 years ago with excelent health benefits at 54, about a year after they all lost their jobs due to those, and other, decisions.
That kinda stuff was waaaaay over my head.
Maybe so on the bowing out portion. I left at 53 with full med and den and had the rug pulled from under me and they gave me the HSA.
Found out thats better than the avg slob.
I said thank you but had always planned on getting screwed and was ready for it.
Next the HSA is history so stand bye.
Were you management or labor?
management or “craft”
Wasn’t sure you were from the System which is why I said “labor”. Right now I haven’t heard anything about med or den being pulled from craft retirees by Verizon. They complain about cost, but they always do. They pretty much assigned me to UHC which along with Medicare, is working out very well for me. They (UHC) even take care of ALL the paperwork. All I do is match numbers.
“Allegedly there are 35+ thousand sealed indictments ready to go?”
Source?
I only found 9,294.
Perhaps we are have a better shot now. Time Warner was only a semi-visible corporation. AT&T is highly visible and therefore more sensitive to criticism.
For those of us looking on, after you cut the cord, to whom do you pay half?
Any one know how much Sessions and this Judge were paid under the table? /s =.=
$42 for Spectrum (timewarner)
$25/month for SlingTV which is cable and 4 EPIX movie channels plus many more channels cable don’t give you.
$10/month for Netflix.
$110/year for Amazon. You get music, tv, movies but I use it mainly for shopping.
Over the air antenna for free tv.
Check http://www.tvguide.com/listings and type in your zip code for channels in your area.
That’s pretty much what I have now. I have Roku rather than sling. I’ll check that out. Spectrum cable isvery expensive. The Spectrum broad band here is more than you are paying
I’m testing Britbox and Acorn. Both are very good.
We will probably drop Netflix soon because it seems like they mostly add foreign language stuff now. Whenever I check their "x" number of new shows/movies have been added in the last "x"number of days notifications there is maybe one I am interested in and the other 10 or more are either foreign language media or stupid reality TV crap. They used to have a lot of good British/UK shows but I think that is all getting siphoned off by britbox which may be what we replace Netflix with if the price is reasonable.
But whatever we do it will NOT be signing up for 20th century TV tech again. Broadcast TV (shows/movies that come on at a certain hour and are shown with loads of commercials) is dead to me. I watch without annoying interruptions that are delivered in the form of OVERLY LOUD OBNOXIOUS COMMERCIALS repeated ad nauseam during a show/movie and I watch such at a time that is convienent for me or I just don't watch. Life is too short for that repetitive mind-numbing crap beating on my brain constantly. Besides dropping all those commercials from the shows I do watch give me that much more time for the real fun, reading! Amazon/Kindle to me is like getting Christmas Presents anytime I wish. I just turn on the Kindle app do a search and use my Amazon giftcards to buy any book I want and it is delivered in a matter of seconds.
This is why I LUVS MY INTERWEBS! 😎👌
My off hand opinion is that Acorn is superior to Britbox if you must chose only one.
Acorn has very good Australian and even New Zealand prrogrammming that far exceeds any American Broadcast TV.
Korean of Taiwan series with subtitles allthe time. I like to observe how they want to be seen. both are first quality
OVERLY LOUD OBNOXIOUS COMMERCIALS
I watch tv with the sound off most of the time because of that : )
a deal that gives the pay-TV provider ownership of cable channels such as HBO and CNN...
Thanks Red Badger.
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