A US federal judge has approved the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T, rebuffing the government’s effort to stop the $85.4 billion deal.
Judge, Richard J. Leon of United States District Court in Washington, said the Justice Department had not proved that the telecom company’s acquisition of Time Warner would lead to fewer choices for consumers and higher prices for television and internet services. A copy of the judge’s opinion can be found here.
Time Warner owns TV channels such as HBO and CNN as well as the Warner Bros film studio.
AT&T General Counsel David McAtee said the company was happy with the result.
“We are pleased that, after conducting a full and fair trial on the merits, the Court has categorically rejected the government’s lawsuit to block our merger with Time Warner,” McAtee said in a statement.
“We look forward to closing the merger on or before June 20 so we can begin to give consumers video entertainment that is more affordable, mobile, and innovative.”
The US Department of Justice sued last year to block the merger, citing concerns that AT&T, owner of satellite TV platform DirecTV, could charge rival distributors more for Time Warner content, resulting in higher prices for consumers.
AT&T announced its intention to buy Time Warner in October 2016.
