Hints and tips:
...Randall Stephenson, former chief executive, acquired DirecTV for nearly $50bn in 2015, in what turned out to be one of the worst moves in a number of acquisitions by the since-retired executive....
...A rebuffed Stephenson cast an eye toward Europe where Vodafone, Telefónica and the UK network O2 were considered targets. But instead he opted to buy DirecTV for $67bn in 2015, including debt....
...John Stankey, who succeeded Mr Stephenson as chief executive this year, helped engineer AT&T’s expansion into pay-TV and media....
...Stankey, a telecoms veteran, was the driving force behind AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV, the satellite TV broadcaster, and Time Warner....
...He was, after all, a close lieutenant of Stephenson and had worked on AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV and Time Warner....
...“He has basically undone the last 10 years of AT&T’s acquisitions,” said a person close to Stephenson....
...DirecTV and Time Warner were already fading in the era of Netflix by the time Mr Stephenson paid premium prices for them....
...Mr Stephenson’s time at the helm has been marked by a series of megadeals, including the $48.5bn acquisition of DirecTV in 2014 and a $39bn bid for T-Mobile, which was later blocked by antitrust regulators...
...Under Mr Stephenson, who took the helm in 2007, AT&T has bet very big on entertainment — including the purchase of DirecTV for nearly $50bn in 2014 with the $80bn blockbuster deal for Time Warner following...
...AT&T said Mr Stephenson would remain at the helm “through at least 2020”....
...Unveiling second quarter numbers, boss Randall Stephenson described how expeditiously his company is slashing its debt, which still totals $170bn....
...“We’re on plan to meet our deleveraging goals with strong free cash flow and asset sales,” said chief executive Randall Stephenson. The company says it net debt is on track for $150bn by year-end....
...DirecTV had 20.6m satellite video subscribers at the end of September....
...At a recent shareholder gathering, Mr Stephenson tried to play down the heft of the DirecTV segment, pointing out that it accounted for only 15 per cent of the company’s profits....
...Mr Stephenson last week brushed off concerns about the threat from Disney....
...The ruling clears the way for the two companies to begin integrating Time Warner’s content business, which includes CNN and HBO, with AT&T’s distribution network, which includes satellite provider DirecTV...
...Mr Stephenson’s next move was the $48bn takeover of DirecTV, the cable and satellite provider, in 2015, which was a fresh attempt to reshape the global carrier....
...Randall Stephenson, the chief executive of AT&T, was expected to testify later this week. The Department of Justice rested its case on Tuesday....
...Although the groups are not direct competitors, regulators argued the “vast video distribution infrastructure” owned by AT&T through its DirecTV satellite pay TV system combined with Time Warner’s “popular...
...Broadcasting or DirecTV....
...Randall Stephenson, chief executive of the telecoms company, reiterated on Thursday at the Dealbook conference in New York that “there is no intention of selling CNN”....
...Time Warner, HBO’s parent company, is in the midst of being acquired by AT&T for $85.4bn and Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chief executive, has been vocal about the value of HBO content in driving adoption...
...Mr Murdoch has called Randall Stephenson, chief executive of AT&T, in recent months, asking if he would consider selling CNN, said a person familiar with the matter....
...Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chief executive, says he is prepared to defend the takeover in court if a settlement cannot be reached with regulators....
...The service, called DirecTV Now, will launch on Wednesday and offer more than 100 channels of live TV starting at $35 a month for a limited time, with the option to add HBO for an extra $5 a month....
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