• AT&T to buy DirecTV in $48.5 billion cash and stock deal
    20 replies, posted
[url]http://finance.yahoo.com/news/t-agrees-buy-directv-48-5-billion-cash-214127852--sector.html[/url] [QUOTE] DirecTV, the No. 1 U.S. satellite TV operator, said on Sunday it has agreed to sell itself to AT&T for $48.5 billion, in the second mega-deal to shake up the U.S. television landscape this year. The deal with Dallas-based AT&T, which has some TV and broadband services, is the latest in a string of big takeovers the wireless operator has considered. Those include an abortive bid for T-Mobile USA in 2011, as well as a potential takeover of Vodafone Plc that receded as a possibility after Comcast Corp surprised the industry this year with a $45 billion bid for Time Warner Cable Inc. AT&T said it is offering $95 per DirecTV share in a combination of stock and cash, a 10 percent premium over Friday's closing price of $86.18. The cash portion, $28.50 per share, will be financed by cash, asset sales, financing already lined up and other "opportunistic debt market transactions." The transaction has a total value of $67.1 billion, including DirecTV's net debt.[/QUOTE] This article is about a deal being reached finally, not about the possible acquisition of Direct TV
So when can we break up AT&T again?
forty eight billion. hot damn.
The absolute last thing this country needs is more consolidation of the TV/Broadband industry. This bid should be completely rejected by the regulators which I hope will also be done regarding the Comcast/Time Warner deal. Our broadband industry is already out of hand, we need something to break them up or regulate them. Reclassifying them as common carriers would subject them to considerably more oversight but the cable industry lobbyists and their friends in Congress would do absolutely anything in their power to impede such an action. The FCC is essentially made up of former cable industry lobbyists anyways so special interests will always have the upper-hand regardless of what public scrutiny the commission might come under.
Fuuuuuuuck DirecTV is one of the few non-shitty providers we have in this area of TV. It's either them, Dish (Which suck ASS), or cable. I really don't trust AT&T not to fuck them up.
I prefer Dish over Direct. Direct costed an arm and a leg when I was living in the country side. Also 48 billion. Money which could be used to improve your motherfucking infrastructure.
DirectTV has quite the hardware engineering team, they're always coming out with shit that's way better than the previous stuff. I had a new HDTV dish installed last year and nothing but an extremely severe thunderstorm will make it lose its signal.
NOOOOOOO
[QUOTE=Saxon;44845385]DirectTV has quite the hardware engineering team, they're always coming out with shit that's way better than the previous stuff. I had a new HDTV dish installed last year and nothing but an extremely severe thunderstorm will make it lose its signal.[/QUOTE] The software though, horrendous.
[QUOTE=redsoxrock;44846455]The software though, horrendous.[/QUOTE] They've upped their game alot in the past few years in this department.
Huh. This ought to be interesting. I work for AT&T I wonder if they'll give me a discount on DirecTV service :v:
The best part is that they are only another major merger away from being forcefully ripped apart again due to the anti-monopoly ruling.
[QUOTE=pentium;44849508]The best part is that they are only another major merger away from being forcefully ripped apart again due to the anti-monopoly ruling.[/QUOTE] They'll lobby to stop it :v:
[QUOTE=pentium;44849508]The best part is that they are only another major merger away from being forcefully ripped apart again due to the anti-monopoly ruling.[/QUOTE] No, they aren't. Trust-busting in this country is dead and buried. We're so super-capitalist that we don't actually believe in capitalism anymore, just oligopoly.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;44849692]No, they aren't. Trust-busting in this country is dead and buried. We're so super-capitalist that we don't actually believe in capitalism anymore, just oligopoly.[/QUOTE] Quit making me feel like I'm living next door to the largest accumulation of pricks known to exist in the universe.
[QUOTE=Smoot;44848413]They've upped their game alot in the past few years in this department.[/QUOTE] Then why is it sill so slow?
Why does it seem that every company is buying each other now?
[QUOTE=dennistrane;44852252]Why does it seem that every company is buying each other now?[/QUOTE] it'll keep happening until Taco Bell wins the franchise wars
[QUOTE=Amez;44845016]The absolute last thing this country needs is more consolidation of the TV/Broadband industry. This bid should be completely rejected by the regulators which I hope will also be done regarding the Comcast/Time Warner deal. Our broadband industry is already out of hand, we need something to break them up or regulate them. Reclassifying them as common carriers would subject them to considerably more oversight but the cable industry lobbyists and their friends in Congress would do absolutely anything in their power to impede such an action. The FCC is essentially made up of former cable industry lobbyists anyways so special interests will always have the upper-hand regardless of what public scrutiny the commission might come under.[/QUOTE] The state of the FCC is cause for protest honestly. It's so unbelievably corrupt, and so are many of the other agencies that were meant to protect the people. What can be done about it? I'm not saying that as a defeatist, but rather actually asking what can we do as citizens to force out the corruption when it is corrupt from the top to the bottom? at this rate we're gonna end up like [URL="http://www.cnet.com/news/telecom-monopoly-overcharging-mexicans-billions/"]Mexico[/URL] with the whole telecom thing
NASA would fill their budget for 2.5 years with that money, as some sad perspective.
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