AT&T in advanced talks to buy DirecTV

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AT&T Inc is in advanced talks to buy satellite TV provider DirecTV for about $100 per share, or roughly $50 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The two companies are working toward a deal announcement as soon as within the next two weeks and hammering out final terms such as whether to have a break-up fee in place, the person said, asking not to be named because the matter is not public.

AT&T and DirecTV declined to comment. Bloomberg News earlier reported that AT&T was offering to pay around $100 per share for DirecTV, whose management team will continue to run the company as a unit of AT&T. . The Wall Street Journal said a deal could happen in two weeks.

DirecTV shares rose 6 percent to $92.50 in extended trading on Monday.

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AT&T agrees to buy DirecTV in $48.5B deal

 

DALLAS (AP) ? AT&T Inc. on Sunday agreed to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share, a move that gives telecommunications company a larger base of video subscribers and increases its ability to compete against Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which agreed to a merger in February.

AT&T's proposed combination, which is subject to government review, could improve its Internet service by pushing its existing U-verse TV subscribers into video-over-satellite service, and thereby free up bandwidth on its telecommunications network.

AT&T currently offers a high-speed Internet plan in a bundle with DirecTV television service. The acquisition would help it further reap the benefits of that alliance.

With 5.7 million U-verse TV customers and 20.3 million DirecTV customers in the U.S., the combined entity would serve 26 million.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/t-agrees-buy-directv-48-5b-deal-214622889--finance.html