AT&T-Time Warner deal could spur more mergers, scrutiny and New Media Environment's Challenges

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.

Stocks of some programmers that could attract interest rose sharply on Friday as the deal of the year came together. Discovery Communications Inc gained 3.6 percent, AMC Networks Inc rose 3.9 percent and Scripps Networks Interactive Inc jumped 5.6 percent.

media content material businesses are having an more and more tough time as standalone entities, growing an possibility for telecom, satellite tv for pc and cable companies to make acquisitions, analysts say.

media corporations face strain to access distribution as greater more youthful visitors reduce their cable cords and watch their favored shows on cellular devices. distribution companies, meanwhile, see obtaining content as a way to diversify sales.

"the industry desires to consolidate," stated salvatore muoio, whose firm invests in a number of media groups, consisting of time warner. "you have got a lot extra opposition from the likes of netflix, amazon and hulu."

at&t stated overdue saturday it'll purchase time warner for $eighty five.four billion in a combination of coins and inventory, forging the largest deal in the global this 12 months. it expects to shut the acquisition by way of the quit of 2017.

at&t chief government randall stephenson stated the deal "is an ideal match of corporations with complementary strengths who can convey a sparkling method to how the media and communications industry works for clients, content creators, vendors and advertisers."

owning content will help at&t "innovate on new marketing alternatives, which, blended with subscriptions, will assist pay for the value of content material introduction," the agency stated saturday.

however the deal and others will want to skip the scrutiny of regulators, who have raised growing worries approximately media mergers.

time warner’s chairman and ceo jeff bewkes intimated as a good deal, announcing the deal turned into partly to get ahead of competitors. “you’re going to look all sorts of distributors following,” he said in a press convention call with journalists saturday night time. “and you’re going to look a kind of revolution in the television international.”

telecom carriers have been purchasing for content material corporations to collect as their wireless smartphone and broadband internet provider markets mature. "as upside from facts usage appears to be increasingly more capped, we would now not be surprised if different vendors had been to potentially embrace large possibilities within the content area through the years," said barclays fairness studies analysts kannan venkateshwar and amir rozwadowski in a recent word to buyers.

ownership of time warner’s content material – along with harry potter movies, dc leisure films, whose franchises consist of superman, batman and surprise girl, cnn, nba basketball on tnt, mlb baseball on tbs, and hbo’s severely acclaimed shows, like recreation of thrones -- guarantees that at&t can make those packages to be had on its directv satellite tv for pc tv service. at&t can also movement those suggests to its net-brought and wireless directv-branded streaming services within the works. at&t offered directv closing yr for $forty eight.5 billion.

with greater customers streaming on their mobile gadgets, bewkes, whose corporation have been wooed through others, pulled the trigger at the deal in large part because he changed into interested in the idea of handing over his content material to consumers on “a multiplatform basis,” he said.

past that, at&t additionally gets revenue with the aid of licensing the ones movies and television collection to different pay-tv carriers and subscription internet television offerings along with netflix. "video and enjoyment will stay the important thing driving force for the future of patron-oriented offerings," said brett sappington, senior director of studies at parks buddies. "video, virtual fact, and other entertainment experiences are data hungry. they'll be the experiences that push consumers to higher levels of broadband or cellular data."

proudly owning content material additionally facilitates pay-television carriers to avoid high priced conflicts over the escalating expenses they pay to carry programming, he said. "with content prices persevering with to increase, operators are awaiting more such conflicts within the destiny. so, ensuring get admission to to famous content without a doubt enables at&t," sappington said.

comcast's acquisition of nbc accepted in 2011 foreshadowed at&t-time warner deal. and regulators’ approval of the deal and comcast’s persevered profitability from its business diversity have emboldened its pay-television competition. since then, comcast additionally acquired dreamworks animation in april for $three.eight billion.

however a few analysts said questions persist about the achievement of massive vertical offers. u.s. regulators will insist on great situations as a part of any approval that would restrict the synergies from any deal, they stated, noting that in 2011 comcast become forced to surrender day-to-day control of video website hulu in order to buy nbc, and that it needed to make nbc packages to be had to different streaming offerings.

"vertical integration among programming and distribution especially increases a number of troubles: directv, for example, would possibly favor time warner content material, crowding out or refusing to carry opportunity and independent programming that visitors would possibly decide on," said john bergmayer, senior recommend at advocacy organization public understanding.

stephenson instructed reporters saturday that the deal "is a vertical merger in its natural feel. time warner is a dealer to at&t and we're combining with a supplier.

as a result, he brought, there's no competitor being eliminated from the market, there's no aggressive harm this is being rendered by means of putting these two organizations together. so any issues with the aid of the regulators, we consider will be adequately addressed with the aid of conditions, that's our anticipation.

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