• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

PRESSLED

Your Leading News Source

PRESSLED
Your Leading News Source

  • Home
  • BUSINESS
  • MONEY
  • POLITICS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • US
  • Meet the Reporters
  • About/Contact

AT&T, Discovery combine media brands in $43bn deal | Business and Economy News

May 23, 2021 by Staff Reporter

AT&T will join its media operations with those owned by Discovery, creating a new company in a $43bn deal that will oversee CNN, HBO, TNT and TBS along with Discovery’s Food Network, HGTV and others.

With the agreement on Monday, AT&T is pulling back from a years-long campaign to break into the streaming and entertainment sector, where big players are slugging it out with increasingly large war chests dedicated to premium and original content.

That arena has been flooded in the past two years with new players including those owned by AT&T and Discovery, which operate HBO Max and Discovery+, respectively.

It is a major directional shift for AT&T which squared off with the United States Department of Justice less than three years ago in an antitrust fight as it acquired Time Warner Inc for more than $80bn.

It’s not immediately clear what the new company would mean for customers, but it will likely allow the bundling of streaming services. For example, Disney offers its viewers Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. A standalone streaming service for CNN is also a possibility.

The combined media company will still be outsized by rival streaming services.

HBO Max and HBO have a combined global subscriber base of about 63.9 million, and Discovery+ has about 15 million subscribers. That compares with Netflix, which has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, and Disney+, which counts over 100 million.

In a call with investors, Discovery CEO David Zaslav said he believes that the standalone company could garner “200, 300, 400 million” subscribers at some point in the future, but there were no details regarding a timeline.

The deal is unlikely to mean changes for customers of AT&T, HBO Max and Discovery+ in the short term. WarnerMedia is continuing with its plans to expand the service, including a launch in Latin America in June, and a rumoured $10-a-month ad-supported version of HBO Max expected to be announced this week.

It’s the second time this year that AT&T has calved off a major acquisition as it navigates a rapidly evolving media landscape. In February the company spun off DirecTV for a fraction of the $48.5bn it paid for the satellite TV service in 2015.

If the deal goes through, AT&T shareholders would own 71 percent of the new company, and shareholders of Discovery would own 29 percent. AT&T would get $43bn in cash, debt securities, and WarnerMedia would retain certain debt.

AT&T first sought to acquire what was then called Time Warner in a bid to control both sides of the entertainment process: the broadband and wireless services that help deliver entertainment to homes, and the entertainment itself. It was able to bundle free HBO Max subscriptions with its phone service, for example. But the cost of maintaining a competitive streaming service became a burden.

“AT&T’s balance sheet allowed neither the aggressive investment required for HBO Max nor the 5G wireless push (nor, for that matter, for the consumer fiber business). Ultimately, they had no choice,” wrote MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett.

Industry analysts say the need to succeed in both became too much.

“When they acquired Time Warner, the vision was to have this kind of megacompany that will have a seamless backbone between the content side and the broadband side,” added CFRA analyst Tuna Amobi. “That vision clearly has not panned out.”

AT&T has a massive debt load, and needs to invest more money as it builds out next-generation 5G wireless networks — wireless is its core business. It said Monday that it plans to increase capital investments for 5G and fibre internet.

The new company will be in direct competition with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney and Comcast, which are assembling a growing arsenal of original media content.

The new company will be able to cut costs by $3bn annually, the companies said, money that could go toward original streaming content. It will house almost 200,000 hours of programming and bring together more than 100 brands under one global portfolio, including DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC and Animal Planet.

That likely means layoffs as the companies consolidate.

Discovery’s Zaslav will lead the new company with a board of13 members. Seven will initially be appointed by AT&T, including the chairperson. Discovery will initially appoint six directors, including Zaslav.

The deal is expected to close by the middle of next year but still needs approval from Discovery shareholders. AT&T stockholders don’t need to vote on the transaction.

Shares of Discovery Inc jumped 3 percent to $36.73 Monday. AT&T shares rose 4 percent to $33.51.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: BUSINESS

Primary Sidebar

More to See

Lone Star: Texas Tech Kicker Jonathan Garibay on Dallas Cowboys ‘Opportunity’

The Dallas Cowboys have a vacancy - and just one kicker presently on the roster. And he's a familiar face to Texas Tech fans, as it's Jonathan … [Read More...] about Lone Star: Texas Tech Kicker Jonathan Garibay on Dallas Cowboys ‘Opportunity’

Pan Asia Bank appoints Naleen Edirisinghe as COO – Financial News

Pan Asia Bank recently announced the appointment of Naleen Edirisinghe as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from 26th April 2022 to take … [Read More...] about Pan Asia Bank appoints Naleen Edirisinghe as COO – Financial News

CRE funds invest billions in U.S. real estate

Multiple commercial real estate funds have poured more than $2.5 billion into the U.S. real estate market in recent weeks, Bisnow reports. These CRE … [Read More...] about CRE funds invest billions in U.S. real estate

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About/ Contact
Copyright © 2022 · PRESSLED · As Amazon Associates we earn commissions from qualifying purchases · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT