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 ]
News tagged with: #streaming services #investment fund #hbo max #unique position #time warner

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PA and IPG unite to oppose Amazon/TBD

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 15/07/2011 - 09:10 The Publishers Association has united with the Independent Publishers Guild for the first time to oppose the merger of Amazon and The Book Depository, while calling for a wider public investigation into the competition between... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Silicon Valley Can't Sell

Drive up and down the 101 Freeway in Silicon Valley, or cast your gaze north toward Seattle, and media companies, which expect to book over $20 billion in advertising in 2011, appear to be everywhere. But visit the biggest of these companies and ask them to define themselves, and you’ll be... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Units Drop 10% In First Half of 2011

Unit sales of print books sold through outlets measured by Nielsen BookScan fell 10.2%, to 307.1 million, in the first six months of 2011 ended July 3. The decline comes as no surprise as ebook sales continued to eat into sales of physical books, and the weak economy limited consumer purchases... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Using E-Books to Sell More Print Versions

The publisher Algonquin is offering digital books at a discount or free to customers who buy certain trade paperback or hardback books. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pottermore defends selling ebooks directly

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 27/06/2011 - 08:53 Pottermore has responded to retailers' frustrations over being unable to sell the Harry Potter ebooks, saying the idea was to "ensure ease of availability across all reading devices". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Confirmed: J K Rowling to sell Harry Potter ebooks exclusively from Pottermore website

Written By: Philip Jones and Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 23/06/2011 - 11:53 J K Rowling has confirmed that she will release paid-for ebook versions of her incredibly successful Harry Potter books from her new website Pottermore "in partnership with J K Rowling’s publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Selling Abroad: Vargas, Lackberg, The Casts

In France, bestselling author Fred Vargas landed at #1 with a new Commissaire Adamsberg mystery, The Furious Army. Penguin will release a paperback edition of an earlier Adamsberg novel, An Uncertain Plan, in the U.S. in October, but has not yet acquired rights to the newest title. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Desmond in talks to sell US OK! to Time Warner

Richard Desmond is in talks with US media giant Time Warner about the possible sale of the US edition of celebrity OK! magazine, sources have confirmed. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conde Nast Targets Non-Media Budgets with Ideactive Unit

Conde Nast has launched a new marketing services division called the Ideactive Unit, which is taking aim at the non-media budgets of current Conde Nast advertisers, as well as new clients. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard and Judy spring titles sell £4.6m

Written By: Philip Stone and Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 12/05/2011 - 09:45 Analysis has revealed that £4.6m of books were sold under the W H Smith Spring Richard and Judy Book Club promotion, as the retailer released the celebrity couple's new summer titles. The eight Spring Book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Charlaine Harris sells 1m Kindle ebooks

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 12/05/2011 - 09:19 Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series of novels, has become the latest writer to sell more than one million Kindle ebooks through Amazon. The author, who is published by Gollancz in the UK, joins Stieg... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Media Equation: Now to Sell Advertisers on Tablets

Magazine publishers are making plans to be part of, rather than run over by, the digital revolution. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editis sells Groupe De Boeck

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 09:22 Editis has sold its Brussels-based educational, scientific and academic publishing subsidiary Groupe De Boeck to Ergon Capital Partners III SA for an undisclosed sum. The sale will enable France’s second largest publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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United Business Media Reports 7.5 Percent Underlying Revenue Growth in Q1 2011

United Business Media (UBM) shared its first quarter report today, with a 13.7 percent increase in total revenue, rising from 2010 first quarter’s $338.74 million to first quarter 2011’s $385.07 million. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: Selling Rights in Russia

With Russia the market focus country at the Fair, Russian publishers will be at Earls Court in force and there will be many associated literary and cultural events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conde Nast Looking to Open Reddit to Investors

Looks like Conde Nast might be putting “Voice of the Internet” Reddit on the lot. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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United Agents' Canter dies

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 14/03/2011 - 08:52 United Agents co-founder and children's agent Rosemary Canter died on Friday [11th March]. Canter began her publishing career as assistant fiction editor at Penguin Books in 1972, eventually working in children's book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Random House Adopts New Model for Selling E-Books

Beginning Tuesday, Random House will join other major book publishers in selling its ebooks using the so-called agency model, setting its own prices for ebooks while the retailer takes a commission. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cutting Out Middleman to Sell Small Ads Online

Online publishers like CBS and Forbes are selling the tiny ads on their Web sites, rather than letting a third-party network promote teeth whitening and herbal remedies. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple rewrites rules on selling content via apps

Apple has moved to block third party app developers from selling content, such as ebooks, outside of the app store, leading to speculation that it wants a cut of digital purchases, even when they are made via apps such as the Kindle app. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #selling content #app store #digital purchases #kindle app