Appeals court upholds AT&T's purchase of Time Warner
The mega-merger is safe, at least for now.
AT&T doesn't have to worry that its acquisition of Time Warner might be undone. A federal appeals court has upheld the merger in the face of a Justice Department challenge from July. The explanation behind the decision isn't available as of this writing, but the judge who approved the deal didn't apply conditions. The DOJ was concerned AT&T might raise prices and reduce competition in pay TV by charging providers more for Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) programming.
It's not certain if the DOJ intends to take the appeal further.
Not much is likely to change given that AT&T closed the deal back in June. If anything, it'll give AT&T greater confidence when pursuing strategies that include a planned streaming service. Barring surprises, it's unlikely to face more legal challenges to its corporate union.
