Early in the week, AT&T announced plans to introduce, by
the end of the year, an internet-video service called DirecTV Now that will
stream 100+ live channels to TVs and mobile devices.
On Friday, it was reported that the media-telecom giant with
over 25 million pay-tv and 129 million wireless subscribers is in advanced merger
talks with Time Warner, owner of TV networks such as HBO and CNN. The motivation for the merger is to get the
one thing it doesn’t have and its major pay-TV/broadband competitor in many
geographical markets, Comcast, does have – CONTENT. As a video distributor and content owner, AT&T
would leverage its position in the supply chain. Certainly, regulators in their review of a
proposed merger, will weigh the efficiency gains with the anti-competitive
concerns of foreclosure. No guarantee [at
all] the merger would pass that regulatory review.
And then there is the question of how competitors like Charter.
Verizon, and Dish will respond.
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