A PYMNTS Company

US: Turner CEO calls Gov “Clueless” about AT&T-Time Warner merger

By  |  February 14, 2018
US: Turner CEO calls Gov “Clueless” about AT&T-Time Warner merger

Turner CEO John Martin thinks his future bosses at AT&T have some work to do.  The telecommunications giants “have let us down,” Martin on Tuesday, February 13, told attendees at the Code Media conference in Huntington Beach, California. When asked if he meant AT&T, which is in the process of acquiring Turner parent company Time Warner, the exec responded, “I have DirecTV. I live in Beverly Hills. It’s not that good. They have not innovated quickly enough.”

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    Subscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Martin’s point was that the legacy media companies need to focus on the customer experience as much as on the content they are producing. By the time they catch up to Netflix and other streaming video providers, he added, “nobody is going to be watching anymore because they’re all going to be on the non-advertising supported platforms.”

    We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

    Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

    Add as Preferred Source

    Martin was joined onstage by A+E Networks chief Nancy Dubuc, who fielded questions about the Amazon Studios chief job and Vice Media. Together, they discussed the impact of media consolidation on their businesses, and Martin expressed frustration about the lengthy regulatory approval process for AT&T’s proposed $85 billion deal.

    “I think the government is clueless,” he said, explaining that the Department of Justice should be more concerned about stopping Facebook and Google from growing too large. “It’s a massive misallocation of resources and capital to fight this thing. They’re going to lose.”

    Full Content: Deadline

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.