AT&T is in advanced talks to acquire Time Warner, according to three people briefed on the discussions, a deal that could be the largest in the United States this year.
The transaction is not yet final and may fall apart, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private information. Time Warner is seeking more than $90 a share, two of the people said.
The apparent interest in Time Warner comes more than two years after AT&T announced a $48.5 billion deal for DirecTV, the nation’s largest satellite television provider. The merger created the country’s largest television distributor with about 26 million subscribers, surpassing Comcast.
Another large acquisition would be very difficult for AT&T to digest. The company has a debt load of about $130 billion, with just $7 billion in cash on hand. It could also raise antitrust concerns with regulators, who have quashed several deals this year because of competition issues.
With its wireless business facing limits to growth and television challenged more broadly, AT&T has sought to diversify through video content. Analysts have said it may pursue acquisitions to achieve that strategy.
Distributors like AT&T, Verizon Communications and Comcast have been either investing or buying companies that produce the content to gain control over their customers’ entertainment experiences. By purchasing DirecTV, AT&T obtained the rights to N.F.L. Sunday Ticket, giving customers access to every football game. The company also created a joint venture in 2014 with the Chernin Group to invest in media businesses and start internet streaming video services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/22/b...n-advanced-merger-talks-with-time-warner.html
The transaction is not yet final and may fall apart, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private information. Time Warner is seeking more than $90 a share, two of the people said.
The apparent interest in Time Warner comes more than two years after AT&T announced a $48.5 billion deal for DirecTV, the nation’s largest satellite television provider. The merger created the country’s largest television distributor with about 26 million subscribers, surpassing Comcast.
Another large acquisition would be very difficult for AT&T to digest. The company has a debt load of about $130 billion, with just $7 billion in cash on hand. It could also raise antitrust concerns with regulators, who have quashed several deals this year because of competition issues.
With its wireless business facing limits to growth and television challenged more broadly, AT&T has sought to diversify through video content. Analysts have said it may pursue acquisitions to achieve that strategy.
Distributors like AT&T, Verizon Communications and Comcast have been either investing or buying companies that produce the content to gain control over their customers’ entertainment experiences. By purchasing DirecTV, AT&T obtained the rights to N.F.L. Sunday Ticket, giving customers access to every football game. The company also created a joint venture in 2014 with the Chernin Group to invest in media businesses and start internet streaming video services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/22/b...n-advanced-merger-talks-with-time-warner.html
at Rob Marcus selling off TWC as soon as he could to Comcast...getting blocked 
and selling to Charter who Is a smaller company than TWC and now trying to Sell that to AT&T 
