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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."
DraftKings and FanDuel make their merger official
It was speculated back in June and reports last month indicated that a deal was close. Today, daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel made their merger official. The two sides announced a "strategic merger" that's expected to close in the second half of 2017, but financial details weren't disclosed.
DraftKings and FanDuel may be serious about a merger
DraftKings and FanDuel have dismissed talk of a possible merger for ages, but it looks like those rumors may be more than just idle banter. Sources for both ESPN and Recode say that the daily fantasy sports websites are in serious talks about a union. Just how close they are is up for debate (ESPN says it's "imminent," Recode says the terms are "still being ironed out"), but this wouldn't just be an exploratory discussion.
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.
AT&T uses loophole to deny low-income internet discounts
AT&T is using a technicality to refuse its FCC-mandated "Access From AT&T" discount program to low-income families that should qualify for it, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). In an absurd twist, the loophole is that its broadband speeds in the affected areas are too slow.
Tesla and Solar City agree to a $2.6 billion merger
Tesla has confirmed that it will buy SolarCity for $2.6 billion, a deal that unites two Elon Musk firms as one giant green company. The merged business will sell solar panels, Powerwall batteries to store the energy and electric cars that run on it. It's the "end-to-end clean energy" solution promised by Elon Musk in his "Master Plan Part Deux" just two weeks ago. SolarCity also revealed that it will introduce an "integrated solar and storage offering," and a solar product "focused on the 5 million new roofs installed each year in the US."
Uber China merges with rival Didi Chuxing
Uber has agreed to sell its Uber China arm to arch rival Didi Chuxing in exchange for a 20 percent stake in the merged operation, confirming reports from Bloomberg and others. The combined company is reportedly worth $35 billion, giving Uber a $7 billion share. "Uber and Didi Chuxing are investing billions of dollars in China and both companies have yet to turn a profit there," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a leaked blog post.
DraftKings and FanDuel are reportedly talking about a merger (updated)
Many would say that DraftKings and FanDuel are two sides of the same daily fantasy sports coin, and for good reason: in addition to similar businesses, they've sometimes been uncomfortably close to each other. And now, it looks like they might just cement that bond once and for all. Sources for both Bloomberg and Reuters say that the two companies are in merger talks. They reportedly haven't agreed on anything and might not unite, but the insiders claim that the two have been discussing the deal for a long time. Neither DraftKings nor FanDuel has commented so far.
European regulators block Three and O2 merger
We suspected it was coming, but the European Commission has finally come out and said it: Three UK owner Hutchison Whampoa cannot buy UK carrier O2. In a statement, the Commission said that a potential merger between Three and O2 would have "reduced competition" and "resulted in higher prices," which may have negatively impacted the quality of service for UK consumers.
Judge blocks Staples and Office Depot merger
Last year around this time, Staples announced that it had purchased Office Depot, in a deal that would have created one enormous outlet for office supplies, computers, 3D printing services and more. However, US regulators thought the new company would be too enormous, and convinced a court to kill the merger on antitrust grounds. US District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that the acquisition "will substantially impair competition," especially to business customers, and that blocking it was "in the public interest."
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.
It's official: Uncle Sam says Charter can buy Time Warner Cable (update)
Charter Communications purchased Time Warner Cable in a deal estimated at $78 billion, and today the US Department of Justice and FCC chairman Tom Wheeler gave the acquisition the green light. The companies agreed to the deal in May 2015, when it was estimated at $55 billion. The approval comes with a few caveats: The DoJ says Charter is not allowed to impede access to streaming content, for one. Wheeler says Charter will not be allowed to impose data caps or charge usage-based prices, nor will it be able to charge interconnection fees.
TiVo and Rovi close to merger deal, says NYT
Rovi is closing in on a deal to buy DVR maker TiVo for an unknown price, according to sources from the New York Times. The exact terms aren't yet known, but TiVo reportedly has a market value of around $750 million. If the name "Rovi" isn't ringing a bell, the company makes interactive TV guides that are used by 18 million or so TV subscribers. You may remember it better for its much-hated DRM copy protection, when it used to be called Macrovision. TiVo, of course, is known (and mostly liked) for ad-skipping DVR products like the 4K TiVo Bolt.
The big VAIO, Toshiba and Fujitsu merger is still on
We've been reporting on rumors that three of Japan's PC makers, VAIO, Toshiba and Fujitsu are planning to merge their computing divisions for a while. Now, Bloomberg has apparently received confirmation that a deal is on the cards thanks to Hidemi Moue, CEO of Vaio's parent company. If the news organization is to be believed, the agreement to bring together the three businesses will be signed by the end of March. The new firm (which is likely to be called VAIO) will control more than 30 percent of Japan's market, making it bigger than current number one Lenovo.
Three vows to fix prices to ensure O2 merger is approved
The proposed merger of UK carriers Three and O2 is far from a done deal. The European Commission, which is conducting the official review, telecoms regulator Ofcom and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have all voiced similar concerns: the union will have a significant and likely negative impact on competition in the mobile space. With the merger under threat, Chairman of Three UK Canning Fok has now made a number of promises to grease the wheels, including a five-year freeze on the price of minutes, texts and megabytes across both networks if the deal is approved.
Beer tracker Untappd goes 'to the next level'
Beer fans are probably already familiar with Untappd, an app (Google Play, iTunes, Windows Phone Store) that piggybacks on Foursquare's check-in system. Instead of just tracking where you go, it keeps a database of what you drink, what your friends drink, and what's on tap at pretty much any bar. Until now its creators have been working on it only part-time, but announced recently that through a "strategic merger" with fellow alcohol startup Next Glass, they'll be able to work on it full-time. Next Glass has an app that also keeps track of what you've been drinking, manages ratings and can recommend something else to try. Still, the founders say this won't change things much, simply promising more updates, badges and cool features faster.
Toshiba, Fujitsu and Vaio could merge their PC divisions
The PC business as we know it is dying, and whenever an industry reaches this point in its life, it has to team up with the other survivors to avoid oblivion. To that end, Nikkei Asian Review believes that Toshiba, Fujitsu and Vaio, Sony's spun out computing division, are considering merging their PC divisions together. The move would create a desktop, laptop and tablet-manufacturing supergroup that controlled more than 30 percent of Japan's market -- making it bigger than Lenovo, the current local champion. The paper believes that Vaio would be the name that survives, absorbing its rivals into its existing operations.
Android and Chrome OS may be combined as early as next year
For years, people have wondered if Google would merge its Android and Chrome operating systems, and the company has steadfastly held to them important but distinct pieces of its strategy. That might be changing: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has been working for two years to merge Chrome OS and Android. The results of that unified operating system is expected to be officially released to the public in 2017, but we may see an early version as soon as next year. Update: While some have reported Google might "kill" ChromeOS, the company seems to still have some kind of dual-strategy in mind and has disputed that interpretation. As the Senior VP of Chrome OS, Chromecast and Android Hiroshi Lockheimer probably knows the the most about each project's potential fate, and he tweeted tonight that "we are very committed to Chrome OS."
UK watchdog gives BT and EE's merger the go-ahead
BT's £12.5 billion acquisition of EE cleared a big hurdle today after the UK's competition watchdog agreed to provisionally clear the deal. The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) said today that after considering whether a union between the two companies would impact mobile, fixed line and broadband services, the merger was "not expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market in the UK."
Dell's buying EMC for $67 billion in the biggest tech deal ever
Dell has agreed to buy EMC Corporation for a deal worth $67 billion. While EMC isn't a household name, some of its products and subsidiaries are. In addition to selling cloud services, storage and analytic solutions to enterprise companies, EMC owns the security firm RSA and the virtualization solution VMware. The deal is huge -- it's being billed as the largest tech acquisition in history. EMC is probably worth twice as much as Dell itself right now, and has some 70,000 employees worldwide.
