AT&T Eyeing $40B DirecTV Acquisition: Report

In what could be the next mega-deal in the TV world, AT&T reportedly has an interest in the satcaster giant. The Wall Street Journal reported tonight that AT&T has approached DirecTV about a possible acquisition, which likely would be worth $40 billion, the paper said. Neither company would comment on the WSJ report. The deal would create a Pay TV behemoth potentially on the same scale as the Comcast’s proposed $45 billion merger with with Time Warner Cable. DirecTV is the No. 2 pay service, with about 20 million subscribers, and AT&T phone-based TV biz has nearly 6 million. AT&T has an existing partnership with the satellite giant to sell its service in areas where it offers broadband but doesn’t offer its U-verse TV service. AT&T just this week teamed with Peter Chernin in a venture to create an online service that can take the place of traditional pay TV.