LibertyEntertainment
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DirecTV to merge with majority shareholder Liberty Entertainment
Hmm, now isn't this interesting? Just months after Liberty Media reached out at the eleventh hour and rescued Sirius XM from imminent bankruptcy, it's now spinning off its entertainment division (Liberty Entertainment) and combining it with DirecTV (which Liberty already controls). We're told that the new Liberty Entertainment will hold 54 percent of DirecTV Group shares and 65 percent interest in the Game Show Network, not to mention three regional sports networks and a few other things not worth mentioning. The move is being made as the "John Malone-controlled vehicle looks to simplify its capital structure," and if all goes well, the paperwork should be completed by the end of the year. Oh, and so far as we can tell, DirecTV consumers won't even notice the shuffling going on behind the scenes.
AT&T looking to snap up DirecTV?
Since it appears the rumored DirecTV/DISH partnership won't come to fruition, the recent idea is that AT&T might be sliding into position to acquire DirecTV and all those HD channels. Multichannel News cited an analyst report issuing a buy rating on Liberty Entertainment shares, based on an increased probability of AT&T snapping up a piece of the satcaster, if DirecTV doesn't buy Liberty first. Enough maybes, coulds and probablys for you? Still, there's no need to wait if you want some DirecTV in your triple play right now.
