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AT&T Buys Time Warner For $85B. Is The Mass Media Consolidating? (reuters.com)
Though regulators may not agree, "Time Warner and AT&T reps claim this is necessary just to compete," warns Mr D from 63. Reuters reports: The tie-up of AT&T Inc and Time Warner Inc, bringing together one of the country's largest wireless and pay TV providers and cable networks like HBO, CNN and TBS, could kick off a new round of industry consolidation amid massive changes in how people watch TV... Media content companies are having an increasingly difficult time as standalone entities, creating an opportunity for telecom, satellite and cable providers to make acquisitions, analysts say. Media firms face pressure to access distribution as more younger viewers cut their cable cords and watch their favorite shows on mobile devices. Distribution companies, meanwhile, see acquiring content as a way to diversify revenue.
The deal reflects "big changes in consumption of video particularly among millennials," according to one former FCC commissioner, and the article also reports that the deal "will face serious opposition." Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey warned "we need more competition, not more consolidation... Less competition has historically resulted in fewer choices and higher prices for consumers..." And in a Saturday speech, Donald Trump called it " an example of the power structure I'm fighting...too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."
The deal reflects "big changes in consumption of video particularly among millennials," according to one former FCC commissioner, and the article also reports that the deal "will face serious opposition." Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey warned "we need more competition, not more consolidation... Less competition has historically resulted in fewer choices and higher prices for consumers..." And in a Saturday speech, Donald Trump called it " an example of the power structure I'm fighting...too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."
Time Warner Cable is almost as bad as Comcast... Enjoy, AT&T.
ya, right.
believe it when i see it.
they let comcast+nbcuniversal happen. this will sail through with minimal, if any, *temporary* concessions.
This is a good move by AT&Fee - makes it easier to bribe the correct political elite to keep smaller companies from competing.
Easier than providing better service if people have less options.
Can these fuckheads ever thing about anything else? Oh noes!!! The millennials!!!!
AT&T means American Telephone and Telegraph. Now they can change it to mean American Telephone and Television. Finally AT&T can stand for something that isn't ridiculously out of date.
Trump has already said he will oppose the merger and even wants too undo the Comcast Universal merger, though I doubt he can.
Hillary OTOH is waiting to see how much AT&T will cough up.
The largest distributor of content merged with a big producer of content. That's freaking vertical integration right there, but Comcast is also the only option available in many markets. And where there is another option, the prices aren't significantly different.
There is probably no reason to block this merger as it would create what is clearly a massive market monopoly. AT&T and Time Warner own pretty much all the cables suitable for communication into people's houses in many areas. As such, it would become much easier fo smaller startups and competitors to demand reasonable openness and lease rates on privately owned fiber, copper and even wireless.
Countries all over the world have far more competition in broadband than America because regulations like "Companies have rights to monopolies on all new copper and fiber for two years following installation to build a customer base and loyalty to assist on ROI, following that, they must provide lease of those cables to competitors at rates that would permit them to be competitive".
This means that AT&T would be allowed their monopoly but consumers would have access to more providers, greater choice and better prices as it would spur competition. In addition, it would incentivize building out better networks to companies hoping for the two year monopolies. It would also reduce building 4-5 networks in a city which is profitable and building nothing in a city that isn't.
This merger along with a strong (expensive) lobbying effort by a united group of smaller providers could actually help consumers in America have at least have a choice. If this presidential election proves anything, the media currently has too much impact on people and making it easier to regulate the media may help. We have two candidates who are campaigning that simply should NOT be allowed there and the media, because of ratings and competition have turned it into a mix of a circus and a year long boxing or professional wrestling match.
Less competition might be a good thing. I thing the mad competition for ratings has caused the press to LOVE this election as people are watching it instead of other highly intellectual programs like "Real Housewives of New Jersey".
I subscribe to DirecTV and have for years. I opposed the buyout from AT&T going so far as to write the FCC and my congressman. I have to say though that so far at least it hasn't been bad. I have an AT&T cell phone as that is the only major carrier that works in my area and now I can watch anything on DirecTV on my phone with no data charges. I can program my DVR from the app on my phone anywhere which is handy. I'm still leery of big conglomerates becoming monopolies but with proper oversight it could have advantages. Then again, given how lobbyists write legislation nowadays I have a feeling it's going to end badly.
Has this newly merged corporation-person declared a gender yet? What is this entity's preferred pronoun?
That's great that you can watch DirecTV on your phone without data charges. However, this is also the reason why Antitrust laws exist. It means someone on T-Mobile and DirectV doesn't have this option and has to pay extra. This does not promote competition, nor is it beneficial for net neutrality. If this merger happens you will probably be able to watch HBO too at a discount. This merger is exactly what antitrust laws are meant to curtail. It may be convenient for the consumer in some ways, but it is anti competitive. "These Acts, first, restrict the formation of cartels and prohibit other collusive practices regarded as being in restraint of trade. Second, they restrict the mergers and acquisitions of organizations that could substantially lessen competition. Third, they prohibit the creation of a monopoly and the abuse of monopoly power."
I put my two shoes on
I lick my erect nipples with delight,
tonight's the fight
who will win
my labia in gin?
HO HO HO the santa said and i plunged my clit into his anus
What a dumb question. The mass media have been consolidating for DECADES.
Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse. -- L. Long
One of many issues to solve corruption in the country is to de-monopolize the media. When they started letting moguls buy out huge chunks of media about 30 years ago we were warned that this would happen. Now you have actors and actresses repeating talking points and the AP is the single source of most "news". Investigative journalism has become a dangerous vigilante action instead of "Press" as it was defined and discussed at the time of the founding of the USA.
Lots of problems to work on in this country, and the abuse of monopoly is one.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
i would've.
Good thing TW cable isn't involved.. they were too busy being bought by Charter!
In 10 years : WalmartGoogleExxonAppleGoldman buys AT&TimeWarnerGeneralElectricsVerizon for $85T
Thank to all the media blunders, Trump is more powerful now than he ever was as a simple business man.
The media made candidate Trump to f*ck with the Republican primary. Then the media destroys Trump in October to ensure Hillary wins. Much of the stuff they are using to destroy him has been around for a long time, the media could have made it public during the early days of the Republican primary but then Hillary might have had a viable opponent.
Look up the verizon exxon chipotle commercial
this is the inevitable consequence of out of control wealth inequality. When you let the rich have all the money they've got very little left to spend it on besides conquest. This is how it was for humanity for thousands of years. The last 100 or so were a fluke brought on by the rapid advance of technology. Stop it now or you'll never see that 'fluke' again.
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with socialism? Like Bernie Sander's said, words have meaning. Pull your head out of your (or maybe Vlad Putin's if you're one of those Russian trolls) ass.
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All the media outlets are already owned by like 3 people at the end of the chain.
I currently have AT&T Uverse for television, and Time Warner for internet. Why not use one or the other for both? Because Time Warner cable is more expensive for my use case (3 receivers) and AT&T Uverse internet is too slow and more expensive than Time Warner internet. If the government approves this, we better get a viable national third party because otherwise we're doomed.
"we need more competition, not more consolidation"
AT&T and Time Warner don't compete, retard. One is a media business, the other is a telco.
Company with 130 year old name sues people over 70 year old cartoon bunny
They win.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
When asked about cleaning the facilities where employees work ( the same garbage sits on the floor for years ) or if their workforce will ever get any training for the equipment they maintain, the answer is always the same:
" It's not in the budget. "
So they axe the budgets year after year, then complain when no one has any work to do. Oblivious to the fact that a budget is a prequisite for getting anything done when adding or replacing ageing hardware.
Yet when there are companies to be bought, stadium naming rights or excessive executive compensation up for consideration, there is ALWAYS a budget for that.
This upcoming Friday, thousands of folks will learn if they got " picked " to leave the company within the next month :|
Folks wonder what happened to loyalty lol
Shouldn't you have written to the FTC, not FCC? Not that that would have made the slightest bit of difference...
"Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dktVJ3qRGS0
I can't deny it. As I said, even though now I benefit I feel that eventually it will still end badly.
Actually, it was the FTC. But as you say it hardly mattered, it could just as well been the FBI, NSA or EPA for all the fucking difference it made. They donate millions of dollars to get what they need done.
because of tech. Airplanes and Machine Guns and Bombs and such. A good chuck of the reasons for the Great Depression were tech, especially when you strip away the esoteric monetary policy explanations.
Root cause is still tech changes happening too fast for society to adjust. Least as far as I can tell.
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As competition is squelched, no reason to worry about the customer going elsewhere. This wont be the AT&T of the past, where the government kept them in check.
The stock market has gotten so much easier to buy stock on when there is only one listing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
The world's two worst customer service organizations will merge creating something truly evil. Just say no.
Organization? You must be joking..
...the JEW.
That's what I think Donald Trump meant to say. And how true it is. Watch as you react to the word "Jew" with fear and terror. Must bow down to your Jewish 'masters' now, mustn't you.
Cheerleading right from the office of the CEO of AT&T:
* * * * *
To: All employees worldwide
Today we announced that Time Warner will merge with AT&T in a game-changing deal. Time Warner is the global leader in media and entertainment with marquee businesses, including HBO, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner.
The media and communications industries are converging. And when it comes down to it, premium content always wins. It has been true on the big screen, the TV screen, and now it's proving true on the mobile screen.
Household names like CNN, TNT, TBS and HBO, blockbuster shows like Game of Thrones and iconic films like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and American Sniper, are going to be joined with AT&T's unmatched customer relationships and distribution scale in TV, mobile and broadband to create a company like no other.
Only AT&T will have the world's best premium content with the networks to deliver it to every screen. Think about being able to watch every movie or every episode of every season for all the content Time Warner owns – and do that on any device, anytime, anywhere.
Besides great content, leading this industry also requires direct-to-customer distribution scale and we have it across TV, mobile and broadband in the U.S., mobile in Mexico and TV in Latin America.
We will be a company with content that's second to none and the networks to distribute it all the ways customers want: mobile, broadband, satellite, subscription, over-the-top, short- and long-form videos, skinny bundles, a la carte – you name it.
And with insights from 100 million plus customers who subscribe to our TV, mobile and broadband service, we will be able to offer more valuable, addressable advertising and use the insights to better inform us on what content to create and when and where to deliver it.
Our combined company will be positioned to compete against cable TV and other video providers with new customer choices – from content and distribution to a mobile-first experience that's personal and social.
This is the power of &. And it's the next logical step in our being the premier integrated communications company in the world. We believe this is the model that wins over time.
We expect to close this transaction by the end of 2017.
In the meantime, stay focused on serving our customers and we'll keep you informed of our progress along the way.
hmm... the stench of AOL still lingers.
Remember the last time TW was purchased by an ISP?
This will be approved, and history will show it to have been a very bad thing for consumers. Bigly. Yuge-ly. One of the worst regulatory mistakes ever.