AT&T Trying To Sell DirecTV -- Again

AT&T is again considering the idea of selling off its troubled DirecTV unit, the pay TV satellite service it bought for $49 billion in 2015, according to reports.

A new deal for DirecTV could be valued at just $20 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. An AT&T representative reached by Television News Daily had no comment.

Potential bidders, according to the report, are private equity companies -- Apollo Global Management and Platinum Equity.

Late last year, Cox Enterprises sold its TV and radio stations, CoxReps, Gamut national advertising businesses and other assets to Apollo Global for $3.1 billion.

AT&T’s DirecTV has seen sharp declines in its pay TV satellite subscribers over the last few years as AT&T attempts to boost its internet-delivered pay TV options to consumers.

For the entire year 2019, AT&T lost more than four million subscribers from all its satellite, wire-line, and linear streaming-TV services, with the bulk of the losses at DirecTV.

AT&T has massive debt -- $196 billion, according to estimates -- from this and other acquisitions, including Time Warner, which it bought for $84.5 billion in 2018.

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