AT&T has returned to the idea of a sale of its direct-to-home satellite business DirecTV.
The Wall Street Journal reported that advisors Goldman Sachs have been in talks with two private equity companies; Apollo Global Management, which first expressed an interest last year, and Platinum Equity.
According to the Journal’s sources a variety of options are being explored including the sale of a stake to one or a combination of private equity companies. There is also the possibility that no sale at all will take place.
Like its rival DISH, DirecTV has lost subscribers to the cord-cutting trend that shows no sign of abating.
AT&T has explored a combination with DISH, but despite a shrinking market, such a move would instantly attract the interest of the regulators. The involvement of private equity would bypass such concerns.
DirecTV was acquired by AT&T in 2015 for $49 billion.
