AT&T plans to pay $48.5 billion to purchase DirecTV, the top U.S. satellite TV operator, in a bid for growth beyond an increasingly competitive cellular market.The deal, announced on Sunday, comes as Comcast Corp awaits regulatory approval of its $45 billion bid for Time Warner Cable Inc, a transaction that has the potential to transform the television landscape by creating a new cable and broadband Internet powerhouse.AT&T said it is offering $95 per DirecTV share in a combination of stock and cash, a 10 percent premium over Friday's closing price of $86.18. The cash portion, $28.50 per share, will be financed by cash, asset sales, financing already lined up and other "opportunistic debt market transactions."Analysts said the deal would help support AT&T's dividend even as it confronts tougher competition from upstart T-Mobile USA and other cellular operators that have pressured its average revenue per user.
Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) is a provider of video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States with systems located in five geographic areas: New York State, the Carolinas, Ohio, Southern California and Texas. Shares of TWC fell by 0.26% or $-0.36/share to $136.68. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $92.87 and as high as $147.28. On average, 3070310 shares of TWC exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 1556263.
Time Warner Inc. (Time Warner) is a media and entertainment company. Shares of TWX traded higher by 0.57% or $0.39/share to $68.89. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $55.71 and as high as $70.77. On average, 5576640 shares of TWX exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 6045182.
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