AT&T bows to pressure from activist investor, may sell ailing DirecTV unit

Mere weeks after activist investor Elliott Management publicly pressed AT&T to slash costs and dial down its acquisitions strategy, it appears as if Chairman-CEO Randall Stephenson has knuckled under to those demands. Speaking today on AT&T’s third-quarter earnings call, Stephenson laid out a three-year plan that includes a pledge to conduct a comprehensive review of all non-essential businesses that may be be sold or spun off, while also making a commitment to retire all the debt related to its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Stephenson also said that he plans to stay aboard through at least 2020. This is particularly important, as speculation that he was about to hand the reins to WarnerMedia boss John Stankey may have been one of the factors that precipitated Elliott’s decision to put the squeeze on the AT&T board. “I believe we’re on the threshold of something really remarkable, in terms of the next chapter of AT&T’s storied history,” Stephenson said. “I have every intention of being here, and I will be here through 2020.” Stephenson added that when the time comes for AT&T to choose his successor, the CEO and chairmanship positions will be made separate, a split for which Elliott advocated in its Sept. 9 letter to the board. Stankey, who recently was upped to chief operating officer at AT&T, remains the heir apparent. “Following five-plus years of heavy investment, it’s now time to reap the rewards of these investments and deliver... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-28 20:32:03 UTC ]

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Richard Parsons, who rescued Time Warner, Citigroup, dies at 76

Richard Parsons, the executive dubbed “Captain Emergency” for his record of stabilizing ailing companies such as AOL Time Warner, Citigroup Inc. and Dime Savings Bank of New York, has died. He was 76.Parsons died on Thursday at his home in Manhattan. The cause of death was bone cancer, the New... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-12-27 15:01:08 UTC ]
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Election 2024: How will the candidates regulate big tech?

The US presidential election is in its final stretch. Before election day on November 5, Engadget is looking at where the candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, stand on the most consequential tech issues of our day. The Biden administration has been more aggressive than almost any in... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-29 13:30:13 UTC ]
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Amazon Scores Highest Monthly Growth Among Streamers Thanks to Thursday Night Football, Rings of Power

The kickoff of the National Football League season was readily apparent in Nielsen's September Gauge report, with broadcast TV seeing a slight viewership bump, and streaming services with exclusive NFL games also seeing big gains. (THR) Per Nielsen data, Amazon received... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-10-16 11:57:00 UTC ]
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Why Whoopi Goldberg Helped Launch Family-Friendly Streaming Service BLKFam

Despite the entertainment industry having more streaming services than ever, Whoopi Goldberg and digital media veteran Larry Adams thought something was missing. That's where BLKFam comes in. Founded by Adams, BLKFam is a free, Black-owned, advertising-based... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-10-01 13:28:38 UTC ]
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Warwick Hotels honcho snaps up a condo by Central Park

A global hotelier has scored a Manhattan home near where his company first put down roots.Richard Chiu, founder of the chain Warwick Hotels and Resorts, whose initial acquisition in 1980 was Midtown’s Warwick Hotel, purchased the three-bedroom condo on Columbus Circle for $17.3 million,... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-09-24 17:00:13 UTC ]
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Food Network star gets back into the scene with a restaurant open three days a month

Before starting his culinary career, acclaimed chef Marc Murphy wasn't sure if he would be able to find a job that he would actually be good at."I'm very dyslexic. I had a hard time staying in school," he said. "I ended up cooking because I knew I didn't have to read or write."Murphy's life in... Continue reading at Crains New York

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5 tips to effectively judge people using personality science from an organizational psychologist

Insight into personality is dramatically more important than emotional intelligence. Richard Davis is an organizational psychologist and managing director at Russell Reynolds Associates. He has extensive experience advising CEOs, including those leading Fortune 100 companies. Clients include... Continue reading at Fast Company

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NY1 anchor focuses on learning new things to stay sharp onscreen

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Gerald Levin, the former Time Warner CEO who engineered a disastrous mega-merger, is dead at 84

Gerald Levin, who led Time Warner Media into a disastrous $182 billion merger with the internet provider America Online, has died at the age of 84 Continue reading at ABC News

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Inside the 'arms race' between YouTube and ad blockers

YouTube recently took dramatic action against anyone visiting its site with an ad blocker running — after a few pieces of content, it'll simply stop serving you videos. If you want to get past the wall, that ad blocker will (probably) need to be turned off; and if you want an ad-free experience,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-01 14:00:31 UTC ]
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Edward Bleier, Visionary Executive at Dawn of Cable TV, Dies at 94

Seeing untold promise in new technology, he was a prime mover in the creation of the cable industry, helping to transform Time Warner Cable into a giant in the field. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-19 20:03:36 UTC ]
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Streaming services are removing original TV and films. What this means for your favourite show – and our cultural heritage

As part of recent challenges, multiple services have removed TV and film from their libraries – in many cases, meaning they are gone forever, inaccessible to any fan. Continue reading at The Conversation

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Harry Potter TV series announced, with JK Rowling executive-producing

Service formerly known as HBO Max, rebranded Max, will host live-action showThe Harry Potter TV series is officially a go at Max, the streaming service known until today as HBO Max.The Warner Bros Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, announced the new service, which combines the original HBO Max with... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-12 19:48:47 UTC ]
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‘All the details that were missing’: Harry Potter fans on their hopes for TV series

While many Potterheads celebrated reports of HBO Max show, some feel it would be tainted by JK Rowling’s stance on genderAt Platform 9 3/4 in King’s Cross station, Harry Potter devotees from around the world gathered to take their picture in front of one of the book’s most celebrated... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-09 14:00:03 UTC ]
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Apple's AirPods Pro fall to $200, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

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[ Engadget | 2022-12-23 17:30:24 UTC ]
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The best Cyber Monday tech deals for 2022: discounts on earbuds, laptops, smartwatches and more

For the past couple of years, Cyber Monday has been almost an extension of Black Friday. In the tech deals space, lots of the discounts and sales we saw at the end of last week are still available now as Cyber Monday deals. There are some new ones, though, which means that even if you bought... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-11-28 14:20:31 UTC ]
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The best Black Friday tech deals for 2022: discounts on TVs, laptops, smartwatches and more

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[ Engadget | 2022-11-25 13:51:19 UTC ]
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The best early Black Friday tech deals for 2022

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[ Engadget | 2022-11-24 17:30:45 UTC ]
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Score a year of Hulu for just $2 a month for Black Friday

Streaming services are getting more expensive, and it doesn’t help that it seems like all the good stuff is spreading out a lot more. If you’re feeling the cable-style pinch of increasing prices and ever-expanding subscriptions, you should check out this deal on Hulu. You can get access to the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-11-23 11:00:00 UTC ]
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How Did AT&T’s $100 Billion Time Warner Deal Go So Wrong?

At Time Warner, executives saw AT&T as just a “big phone company from Texas.” At AT&T, they thought Hollywood would play by their rules. That combination led to strategic miscalculation unrivaled in recent corporate history. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-19 10:00:26 UTC ]
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