The consolidation of cable TV may be continuing in 2017 because Verizon is reportedly looking at buying Comcast or Charter.
The report first showed up in the New York Post and said Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam is reportedly looking at buying one of the big two cable companies in an effort to counter AT&T’s purchase of DIRECTV. This source comes from close to the CEO and apparently happened at CES a few weeks ago.
This seems like an effort to counter not only AT&T’s purchase of DIRECTV but also its plans to buy Time Warner. Verizon can counter both purchases if it picks up Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal; however, the new talk of buying Comcast or Charter raises questions about the future of Verizon’s deal to buy Yahoo.
If a deal between any of these companies would be agreed to it would likely face strict regulatory oversight from multiple government agencies. And as cord cutting grows mergers like this will likely continue to be proposed. Dropping subscriber counts and the high cost of content and equipment will likely force mergers; however, many did not expect Comcast or Charter to be one of the early companies sold.
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