AT&T’s DirecTV takeover: all the news from the $48.5 billion deal – The Verge

AT&T’s streaming TV service will include over 100 channels for $35 per month

2016-10-25T14:08:31-04:00

AT&T's effort to build a cable alternative for cord cutters now has a price. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said today that DirecTV Now will launch next month for $35 a month with access to more than 100 channels, including channels from Disney and Time Warner. It competes with similar offerings from Sling, whose package starts at $20 a month for fewer channels, and PlayStation Vue, which starts at $40 for around 60 channels.

DirecTV Now was announced in March. It will allow consumers to stream television from smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, set-top boxes, and PCs, among other devices. The complete list of channels that will be available on t …

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AT&T announces first DirecTV deals just weeks after takeover approval

2015-08-03T00:10:49-04:00

The FCC approved AT&T's $48.5 billion takeover of DirecTV just under two weeks ago, and we're already seeing the first results - new bundles that the carrier describes as the "first-ever nationwide package of TV and wireless services." DirecTV packages range from $50 to $125 a month, and AT&T is offering a $10 discount when combined with wireless subscription. For example, the company's $160 plan with 10GB of shareable data and four phone lines would run you $200 if you added the $50 DirecTV Select option.

Continuing the two companies' history of offering TV and internet bundles, you can also add AT&T broadband service to any package from $ …

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FCC approves AT&T–DirecTV merger

2015-07-24T14:36:30-04:00

The FCC has approved AT&T's $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV, bringing one of the nation's largest wireless carriers together with the largest satellite TV provider. The combined firm will have around 26 million TV subscribers, making it the largest pay TV company in the country. That created some concern for regulators, but apparently not enough to stop the deal. Instead, it's been approved with conditions, including the expansion of the company's high-speed internet program. Additionally, the conditions are meant to ensure that the combined company will still include affordable internet options and give subscribers the option to access …

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FCC close to approving AT&T’s DirecTV merger

2015-07-21T17:18:09-04:00

AT&T is one step closer to successfully taking over DirecTV. Citing anonymous sources, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that FCC chair Tom Wheeler was preparing to circulate a proposal to approve a merger between the two companies, setting the stage for a vote. Executives from both companies met with the agency last month to discuss the terms of the deal, and it's widely expected to pass both FCC and Justice Department review without trouble. There's no word, however, on exactly when the approval might come.

Wheeler issued a statement shortly after the report came to light, in which he confirmed that an order recommending that …

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FCC questions AT&T for halting high-speed fiber deployment before net neutrality decision

2014-11-14T16:02:10-05:00

The FCC has asked AT&T for more information about its decision to halt the rollout of its high-speed fiber network until net neutrality rules are decided. It's asking AT&T to provide documents regarding the profitability of fiber deployment, its plans to limit fiber deployment, what its fiber network currently looks like, and how many households it actually planned to deploy fiber to in the first place. AT&T's decision to halt fiber rollout is effectively a threat, telling the FCC that strict net neutrality rules would harm the type of broadband investment that it so wants to see. The commission's inquiry is likely going to size up that thre …

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DirecTV renews NFL deal to offer Sunday Ticket

2014-10-02T11:59:57-04:00

DirecTV has renewed its deal with the NFL to carry every Sunday afternoon out-of-market game through its Sunday Ticket package. The Washington Post is reporting that the deal is in place for eight years and will net the NFL $1.5 billion annually, though neither company is officially disclosing terms of the agreement. Sealing the deal was critical for DirecTV for a number of reasons, with one prominent one being that the fate of its merger with AT&T in part depended on it - AT&T was allowed to bail on the merger if DirecTV lost the NFL deal.

But it never really looked like DirecTV had any significant chance of losing Sunday Ticket, which is …

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You can now tell the FCC how you feel about AT&T’s proposed purchase of DirecTV

2014-08-07T15:56:12-04:00

The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing AT&T's plan to acquire satellite provider DirecTV, and it wants to hear the public's opinions on the matter. As of today, members of the public can submit comments on the proposed purchase or petitions for the FCC to deny the purchase. The purchase would give AT&T control over around 26 million TV subscribers - an enormous figure that would make it second to only the merged Comcast-Time Warner Cable, should that deal also go through.

There are three stages of comments

The FCC's comment period will remain open through September 16th, after which there will be a month-long period during which …

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Here’s why AT&T is trying to buy DirecTV

2014-05-19T10:42:12-04:00

Yesterday's news that AT&T had agreed to acquire DirecTV for a whopping $48.5 billion came as no surprise to observers of the pay-TV industry. "If you think back to the '90s the marketplace was full of small companies. We've seen wave after wave of mergers and now there are fewer and larger companies," says Jeff Kagan, an independent analyst. "Going forward we're going to see even fewer and even larger competitors going forward or moving toward a national, competitive marketplace for television, telephone, internet, wireless."

For AT&T, the deal is mainly about gaining scale in video and acquiring the bargaining power that comes with that t …

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AT&T can bail on $48.5 billion merger if DirecTV loses NFL Sunday Ticket

2014-05-19T10:05:37-04:00

If DirecTV fails to lock up NFL Sunday Ticket beyond this coming season, AT&T has given itself the right to back away from the colossal $48.5 billion acquisition announced yesterday. The out clause contained in the proposal's fine print shows just how valuable of a property the NFL is. "The parties also have agreed that in the unlikely event that DirecTV's agreement for the NFL Sunday Ticket service is not renewed substantially on the terms discussed between the parties, AT&T may elect not to consummate the merger," it reads.

The careful wording also says that AT&T won't be able to collect any damages if this scenario plays out. DirecTV jus …

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AT&T to acquire DirecTV for $48.5 billion

2014-05-18T17:06:10-04:00

AT&T wants to take TV seriously. The company has announced plans to acquire satellite provider DirecTV, and if the deal is approved by regulators, the merged firms will control some 26 million TV subscribers. That would make it second only to the hypothetical 30 million accounted for by the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, which is still pending. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the boards of each company had approved the deal for a price of $95 a share - which values the satellite TV provider at $48.5 billion. In a press release, AT&T confirmed the news, adding that the acquisition will be a stock-and-cash deal.

Deal gives AT&T …

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