AT&T and Time Warner Complete Merger

In the wake of a fully driven society that focuses on media to relay valuable information such as news, AT&T has recently acquired one of the few remaining entertainment industry telecommunication giants, Time Warner for roughly $85.4 million.

This merger sees the two companies now able to both produce media content, as well as distribute it to millions of people across the globe with either wireless cell phones, broadband subscriptions, or satellite TV.

Time Warner is the home of HBO and CNN, so the possibilities have now become endless for AT&T in regards to the amount of, as well as the specific type of, content they will now be able to produce.

This type of deal is nothing new for telecommunications outlets, with Comcast’s $30 million takeover of NBCUniversal as well as Verizon Communications’ takeover of Yahoo and the Washington Post. More and more telecommunication giants continue to seek mergers in which their companies expand the potential to produce more media increases.

This deal was approved by both parties. AT&T as well as Time Warner felt that this merger would be a good thing for the both of them.

“When Jeff and I started talking, it became clear to us very quickly that we shared a very similar vision,” said Randall L. Stephenson, AT&T’s chief executive, over a conference call with reporters, referring to Jeffrey Bewkes, Time Warner’s chief executive.

Analysts and investors have noted that Time Warner’s initial merger when they sold themselves to AOL was one of the biggest of all time, and created the brilliant idea of combining both media content and the internet.

Lately, the rise of younger customers seeking various types of media content such as outlets like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, which differ from traditional media, have caused media companies to feel pressured into mergers.

The idea is simple, if you have a telecommunications giant like AT&T and you combine it with a media outlet like Time Warner, it creates a colossus capable of producing vast amounts of content while having more leverage in regards to advertising all of their services.

The main priority is to find new ways to reach potential customers, an example being HBO offering content like “The Game of Thrones” and “Westworld” to consumers who may not have a cable subscription but want to watch the show.

Time Warner’s deal with AT&T is likely to face scrutiny from tough government regulators who are skeptical of power being shared by only a few telecommunications giants.

Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump stated that he would attempt to block the deal if elected president because he feels “it’s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few.”

Trump has a valid point, only a few telecommunication or media outlets remain open. Warner Bros. movie studios, as well as cable channels that include the likes of CNN, TNT, Turner Sports, and TBS, are the last bastions of merger-free media outlets.

Bewkes has previously faced tough scrutiny after he turned down 21st Century Fox’s $85 a share bid, stating that the offer undervalued his company.

But now Bewkes has found someone willing to pay more of a reasonable offer, at $107.50 a share in cash and stock Stephenson has agreed to the merger with Time Warner after feeling the pressure from rival telecommunications giants.

Richard Greenfield, a media analyst at BTIG wrote in a research note that “Bewkes will end up being remembered as the smartest C.E.O in sector – knowing when to sell and not overstaying his welcome to maximize value for shareholders.”

AT&T’s ambitions with this merger certainly go to show that the company is exerting intelligent measures to reconstitute their brand after already having spent hundreds of billions of dollars acquiring companies like DirecTV for $48.5 billion.

After acquiring DirecTV, AT&T began adding satellite TV subscriptions as another method of gaining negotiation leverage with the various content providers who were interested in mergers in order to expand their companies.

As the future of telecommunications, the internet, and media outlets continue to grow, more and more corporate giants will continue to merge with other outlets to expand their own company and essentially have the potential to get a larger amount of content and exposure to consumers.