AT&T has told investors on that it would be selling its Latin American DirecTV unit, Vrio Corp, to Argentina-based investment company Grupo Werthein. The deal involves an impairment charge of $4.6 billion (€3.9bn). AT&T did not reveal the amount it would receive from Werthein. The purchase is likely to close early in 2022. Grupo Werthein […]
DirecTV is raising $3.1 billion (€2.6bn) of so-called ‘junk bonds’ (Senior Secured Notes) to help in its split from AT&T, according to an announcement from AT&T. The offer is for a 6-year period and the bonds will be priced on July 22nd and will come from DirecTV Entertainment Holdings. The cash will be used to […]
As the US continues to emerge and adjust to post-pandemic life, it is evident that the growth and disruption of the streaming revolution continues at pace, according to a Horowitz Research survey of content viewers nationwide. The data show that streaming now supplants MVPD services in penetration and is closing in on time spent by […]
HBO Max, the WarnerMedia SVoD platform, will launch in 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean starting June 29th, with a collection of curated titles from across WarnerMedia’s catalogue and slate of original series and movies, Max Originals, plus live sports in Brazil and Mexico later this year. “Our launch in Latin America and […]
Telefónica, through Movistar, has acquired DirecTV in Colombia in an operation subject to approval by the competition authorities in the country. The service currently has 200,000 subscribers. The CEO of Telefónica in Colombia, Fabián Hernández, said that the acquisition “will allow us to consolidate our presence in the market and strengthen our position with a […]
This blog replaces one about BT trying to sell its expensively fashioned TV assets. AT&T is also bailing from TV, and its entanglement with entertainment makes BT’s foray look cheap and well-managed. While AT&T keeps a big stake, the maths isn’t appetising from their stockholder’s point of view. The new company has a proforma enterprise […]
Poorly-performing economies have hit Latin American pay-TV, according to the Latin America Pay TV Forecasts report from analyst firm Digital TV Research. The number of pay-TV subscribers fell by 4 million in both 2019 and 2020. Venezuela dropped 2.4 million subscribers in 2020 alone, mainly as a result of DirecTV’s withdrawal. Across Latin America, the […]
As expected, AT&T is to sell off a slice of DirecTV to TPG and spin off the company to a new business. Private equity firm TPG will then own 30 per cent of the new entity with AT&T holding on to the balance. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this […]
The growth observed in OTT pay-TV remains slow in Latin America. At end of 2020, this technology represents almost 1.3 million subscribers; barely 2 per cent of the pay-TV market, reports Dataxis. A review of DirecTV, Telefónica and América Móvil strategies shows the different strategies implemented to change this static situation. Low prices and alliances […]
There are unconfirmed reports that TPG (the former Texas Pacific Group) is to take a significant but minority stake in AT&T’s DirecTV business. Reuters reported that discussions were at an advanced stage some weeks ago, and the stake is understood to include AT&T’s TV NOW and U-verse offerings. CNBC and Bloomberg are both reporting on […]