Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC), the US cablecos, are reportedly in talks with rival Charter Communications about the sale of certain cable assets with a value of up to US$20bn.
According to the Financial Times, Charter could acquire up to 5 million…
Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC), the US cablecos, are reportedly in talks with rival Charter Communications about the sale of certain cable assets with a value of up to US$20bn.
According to the Financial Times, Charter could acquire up to 5 million customers.
When Comcast and TWC announced their all-stock deal in February, they immediately said they would divest around three million subscribers to allay antitrust concerns. Such a deal would keep the number of subscribers of Comcast/TWC below 30 million, or 30% of the total number of combined cable TV and DTH subscribers, after a merger.
Charter, which also wanted to acquire TWC but lost out against Comcast, had been tipped as a likely buyer of any assets put up for sale previously.
Several scenarios are being discussed between the parties the paper said, citing people familiar with the matter, including a direct sale of customers to Charter. Alternatively, Comcast and TWC might spin off some of its assets into a separate entity, and Charter could then acquire a minority stake in this unit.
