United States: Telecommunications company AT&T to buy DirecTV (pay-TV broadcaster) for €49bn

Telecommunications company AT&T will acquire pay-TV company DirecTV, the two U.S. companies announced on 18/05/2014. The transaction, consisting of shares and cash, will total $48.5bn (€35.4bn), or $67.1bn (€49bn) with DirecTV's debt included.

AT&T provides fixed and mobile telephone services as well as broadband internet and IPTV. It is the number two telecommunications company in the United States, with 5.7m subscribers to its TV offerings nationally.

DirecTV provides pay-TV cable and satellite service, as well as internet and mobile platforms. It has 20.3m subscribers in the United States and over 18m in Latin America and the Caribbean, a part of the world where AT&T is not yet active.

Notably, DirecTV has broadcast rights to the 2014 World Cup (Brazil, from 12/06 to 13/07/2014) in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. The group also owns the TV rights to the 2014 Copa Euroamericana, a pre-season tournament it organises that will take place in eight cities in Latin America and the United States in July 2014. AS Monaco (Ligue 1) will participate in this competition.

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