AT&T is in advanced talks to acquire DirecTV, the largest U.S. satellite-TV provider, for about $100 per share, according to people familiar with the matter. Under the plan being discussed, DirecTV management will continue to run the company as a unit of AT&T and DirecTV Chief Executive Officer Mike White plans to retire after 2015, said the people, asking not to be named because the information is private.
Comcast wants to buy Time Warner Cable for $42 billion. Now AT&T wants to buy DirecTV for $50 billion, according to multiple news reports on Monday. The proposed tie-up between the two tech titans, were it to take place, would be the largest telecom deal in years. If you’re AT&T, a deep-pocketed national telecom giant watching national policymakers gnash teeth and rend garments about the proposed $42 billion merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, what would you do? Buy satellite giant DirecTV in a $50 billion deal, of course! That’s what’s seemingly on the verge of happening, according to multiple reports on Monday. The proposed tie-up between the two tech titans — which would be the largest telecom deal in years — is not unexpected.
