10 FEB 2020

ANATEL AUTHORIZES THE ACQUISITION OF TIME WARNER BY AT&T IN BRAZIL

Telecom regulator has signed off on AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in the country. The issue was audiovisual communication rules that prohibit cross ownership between programmers and telecoms.

10 FEB 2020

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After more than two years of waiting, Anatel, the telecom regulator in Brasil approves the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T in the country. The agency voted 3-2 against an appeal by the Brazilian Association of Radio and TV Broadcasters. In the rest of the world it had already been approved by all local regulators.

The issue in question was audiovisual communication rules that prohibit cross ownership between programmers and telecoms. Since AT&T is not based in the country, Anatel stated that the rule did not apply in this case – it was not simple though, the collegiate that voted on the case had a tight score: 2×1. In that scenario, not only AT&T owns Sky, the second largest cable TV in Brazil, but also TV channels like HBO, Warner, Cartoon Network and TNT. 

With Netflix, Amazon and Apple already active in the region and Disney preparing itself to rollout Disney+ in the coming months, the streaming, tv and communication market starts 2020 with a lot of changes and a really promising future.