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US: NYT editorial goes deep on antitrust concerns with AT&T-Time Warner

By  |  October 25, 2016

Promises, Promises From AT&T, by the Neew York Times Editorial Board delves deep into the antitrust concerns with the newly announced AT&T-Time Warner merger.

AT&T’s $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner would transform it from a landline, wireless and satellite TV company into one of the most important media gatekeepers in the country, giving it a strong financial incentive to use its programming to hammer competitors.

The company agreed to pay Time Warner, which owns Warner Bros. studios, HBO, CNN, TNT and other TV channels, a 35 percent premium over its market value. AT&T executives say the deal would benefit its customers by leading to new innovations. But it would only be logical for the company to use Time Warner’s trove of movies and TV programming to keep and attract subscribers to AT&T while making it harder or more expensive for competing telecom and streaming companies to get access to that content.

Full Content: New York Times

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