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AT&T may have to sell major assets to appease DOJ in Time Warner deal
Last year, AT&T announced that it was going to acquire Time Warner, a deal that was initially expected to clear by the end of this year with little to no regulatory hurdles. However, last week, reports surfaced that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) was considering whether to file an antitrust lawsuit against the merger as its talks with the two companies over the deal weren't nearing a solution. Now, sources are saying that the DOJ is withholding its approval and wants either Time Warner to sell Turner Broadcasting or AT&T to sell DirecTV.
DOJ may sue to block AT&T's purchase of Time Warner
Today, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice may bring an antitrust case against AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner. The DOJ may currently be in talks with both companies that could lead to a settlement with conditions for approval of the merger. However, the newspaper reports that the justice department isn't close to an agreement with the two companies, and that the organization is preparing for litigation in case this is decided in the courts. It's unclear how this situation will progress, and what the timing of any decisions might be.
Facebook nabs reality show with NFL star Marshawn Lynch
Facebook is determined to make its Watch section a go-to place for video, and that means spending big bucks for original shows. Time Warner's Bleacher Report tells Reuters that Facebook is spending "millions of dollars" to secure No Script, a reality TV show that revolves around Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch. The show will launch later in September, with eight short (10 to 15 minutes) episodes covering Lynch's "antics" -- the first has him learning to drive a race car until he ruins the tires.
AT&T offers free HBO with its cheaper unlimited plan
AT&T's initial offer of free HBO access to wireless subscribers was tempting, but there was a catch: you had to spring for an Unlimited Plus plan, which at $90 or more per month isn't a trivial expense. Now, however, you don't have to be such a big spender. The carrier is extending bonus HBO access to Unlimited Choice customers on September 15th, giving you the same streaming TV if you pay as little as $60 per month for cellphone service. This is one of the few perks of giant mergers, it seems. There are some catches to getting a freebie like this on a low-cost tier, of courser. The Choice plan caps your cellular data at 3Mbps and limits you to a maximum resolution of 480p for video streaming, so you might want to stay on WiFi for that Game of Thrones re-watch.
Time Warner is the latest broadcaster to ride Snapchat's coattails
Snap seems to have no trouble scoring giant media deals. The social app creator has forged a $100 million, 2-year agreement that will have Time Warner making short-form original shows (around 3 to 5 minutes per episode) for Snapchat viewers. While it's still too early to know what those shows will entail besides a variety of genres, Time Warner will make as many as ten shows per year. You can also expect to see a lot of related ads: the company has promised to buy promos for HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. content.
HBO will pull its shows from Amazon Prime in 2018
If you've been using Amazon to catch up on classic HBO shows, you'd better hurry. HBO chief Richard Plepler now expects to pull his channel's library from Amazon Prime Video once the existing agreement ends in mid-2018. Simply put, the pay broadcaster is going all-in on HBO Now -- why undermine your own paid service by licensing to someone else? Instead, it'll take advantage of the "enormous momentum" of Now signups through Amazon Channels, not to mention sales through future owner AT&T's DirecTV Now.
FCC chairman says his agency won't review AT&T's Time Warner purchase
Last month, AT&T revealed how it might structure its deal to acquire Time Warner without having to go through FCC review. The communications giant noted that it "anticipated that Time Warner will not need to transfer any of its FCC licenses ... after the closing of the transaction." That means that the FCC wouldn't need to review the transaction, and today FCC commissioner Ajit Pai confirmed that his agency would indeed not likely look at AT&T's purchase.
AT&T and Time Warner have a plan to dodge merger review
AT&T has indicated how it may avoid FCC scrutiny over its proposed $85.4 billion Time Warner merger. At issue are Time Warner's FCC broadcast licenses -- if were to transfer them to AT&T, that would require FCC approval. However, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), AT&T said "it is currently anticipated that Time Warner will not need to transfer any of its FCC licenses ... after the closing of the transaction."
AT&T's online-only DirecTV service will cost $35 a month
It's been just a few days since AT&T announced that it would be buying Time Warner for $85.4 billion. Now Time Warner CEO Jeffrey L. Bewkes and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson are on stage at WSJD Live to talk a little more about their plans going forward. In particular, Stephenson announced that AT&T is going to release a new OTT offering called DirecTV Now for $35 a month. It'll be an "all-in" service with 100 channels, and it's coming by the end of this November.
AT&T's internet-only DirecTV service launches in November
You don't have to sit on pins and needles wondering when AT&T will launch DirecTV Now, its flagship internet-only streaming service. As part of a discussion of the Time Warner acquisition, AT&T chief Randall Stephenson has revealed that DirecTV Now will be ready in November. It might be a bargain, too -- Stephenson vows that it will carry a price "radically lower" than competing offerings. Just what that means isn't certain (which services and tiers are included in this comparison?), but it's promising.
AT&T to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion
After no small amount of anticipation, it's official: AT&T has announced that it's acquiring Time Warner for the equivalent of $85.4 billion in cash and stock. The move gives one of the US' largest telecoms control over some of the biggest names in movies and TV, including HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. That includes rights to broadcast MLB, NBA and NCAA March Madness games, we'd add. If you ask AT&T, this is a "perfect match" that mates top-tier content with a ton of distribution points. It can easily deliver quality shows over the internet (especially on mobile), conventional TV or in theaters. AT&T won't have to jump through hoops to license material for playback on your platform of choice, and it can create original material just for a specific medium -- say, bite-sized videos for your phone.
WSJ: Time Warner's latest suitor is AT&T (update: deal is done?)
AT&T's next step to telecom dominance? Buying Time Warner, it seems. Before the next episode of Westworld airs, theoretically, AT&T could own HBO, CNN, Hulu, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures among others, according to The Wall Street Journal. Over the past few years pretty much any multibillion dollar corporation has flirted with the idea of buying Time Warner. Apple and Fox have both been heavily rumored, for example. And considering that Time Warner turned down $80 billion from the latter, it gives us an idea that the asking price is going to be northward of that.
Apple fuels TV service rumors with cable exec hire
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has hired Peter Stern (second from right), a former executive at Time Warner Cable. The paper believes that Stern will be working under Eddy Cue on the firm's "cloud services," whatever those may be. It's too early to jump to conclusions, but it's interesting to note that Stern was believed to be negotiating with Apple in the early days of its TV project. The paper also says that Stern feels that the business model of the set-top box is outdated and that the future of TV is apps. That's a sentiment shared by several of his new colleagues, including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Hulu will host all Turner networks on its new live service
Time Warner Inc. just made a big foray into streaming, buying a 10 percent chunk of Hulu for $583 million. With the investment, the media giant has joined rivals and Hulu founders Disney, Comcast and Fox as partners in the service. While it's just a streaming service right now à la Netflix, Hulu will start offering cord-cutters live TV early in 2017. As part of the announcement, Time Warner revealed that its Turner channels will be part of that service, including TNT, TBS, CNN, the Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Turner Classic Movies.
Charter acquisition of Time Warner Cable approved by the FCC
It feels like forever since Time Warner Cable agreed to merge with Charter Communications, for an estimated $55 billion. But today, nearly a year after the two companies struck a deal, the Federal Communications Commission has finally granted its approval. The announcement follows FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the US Justice Department green-lighting the merger in April, which confirmed that it was only a matter of time before it became official.
Time Warner Cable's monthly prices are going up in New York
Last month, Time Warner Cable confirmed some customers would see their bill go up beginning in mid-January. And, well, here we are. The upcoming price hikes apply to both cable and internet users in the state of New York, as the Albany Times Union pointed out. For starters, TWC's Basic and Standard web services will now cost $49.99 and $59.99 per month, compared to the previous $47.99 and $57.99, respectively. That's not much of a change right away, sure, but it adds up over time.
The CW network might get its own streaming service
As streaming deals with Netflix and Hulu are nearing their end, CBS and Time Warner are considering a new online service for their jointly-owned CW network, Bloomberg reports. It sounds like they're considering something similar to CBS All Access, the network's online service that includes a live TV feed and archive of past shows. There's no word on pricing yet, but sources say CBS and Time Warner are considering listing it between $2 and $4 a month (CBS All Access costs $6 a month).
Time Warner fights Netflix by offering TV seasons on-demand
Time Warner isn't shy about its disdain for online-only video services like Netflix, which threaten its revenue from old-school TV providers. However, it's not just going to sit around and gripe -- it's planning to do something about it. The media giant's channels are asking studios to grant them rights to offer full seasons of shows through cable and satellite companies' on-demand services. The hope, as you might have gathered, is that you'll stick to your expensive TV subscription knowing that you can marathon whole seasons like you can on Netflix, Hulu and other services that are friendly to cord cutters.
Hulu reportedly wants to sell part of itself to Time Warner
Time Warner might soon be joining NBCUniversal (Comcast), Fox and Disney as a co-owner of Hulu, the Wall Street Journal reports. The streaming site is said to be in discussions to sell Time Warner a stake of itself, a deal that would value it upwards of $5 billion. While talks aren't final yet, sources say the deal would likely involve Hulu's existing co-owners reducing their stakes in the site for an equal 25 percent split, down from 33 percent each. Having another media parent could give Hulu the muscle to better compete with Netflix. If it goes through, Time Warner will invest cash and give Hulu access to more of its content library. The news isn't too surprising -- we've been hearing since 2013 that Time Warner was interested in Hulu. And it simply makes sense, given that it has the backing of America's other cable giants.
The After Math: Pop culture phenoms
Quentin Tarantino is taking some serious flack this week for his comments on the #BlackLivesMatter debate. As such, we're taking a look at some other franchises that are sure to get your geek blood pumping harder than the first time you listened to Gangnam Style. Here are the numbers you deserve, not the numbers you need right now.
