http://www.tvpredictions.com/merger011107.htm
CES (January 11, 2007) -- DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey yesterday denied his company is talking merger with rival satcaster EchoStar.
In an analyst meeting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Carey said: "Let me be clear on where we are today -- there aren't any discussions." The statement was reported by Bloomberg News.
Since News Corp. agreed to swap its control of DIRECTV to Liberty Media last month, there have been rumors that the top satcaster would seek a merger with its smaller rival.
However, it should be noted that Liberty Media will not officially take over DIRECTV until the second half of the year. The stock swap still has to be cleared by the federal government.
Consequently, it's premature for DIRECTV and EchoStar to engage in serious discussions at this time.
So when Carey says: -- "Let me be clear where we are today -- there aren't any discussions." -- that is undoubtedly true.
However, it doesn't mean there won't be discussions later in the year. In fact, Liberty Chairman John Malone has already publicly floated proposals to join with EchoStar on various projects, including building a joint High-Definition TV platform to save costs.
CES (January 11, 2007) -- DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey yesterday denied his company is talking merger with rival satcaster EchoStar.
In an analyst meeting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Carey said: "Let me be clear on where we are today -- there aren't any discussions." The statement was reported by Bloomberg News.
Since News Corp. agreed to swap its control of DIRECTV to Liberty Media last month, there have been rumors that the top satcaster would seek a merger with its smaller rival.
However, it should be noted that Liberty Media will not officially take over DIRECTV until the second half of the year. The stock swap still has to be cleared by the federal government.
Consequently, it's premature for DIRECTV and EchoStar to engage in serious discussions at this time.
So when Carey says: -- "Let me be clear where we are today -- there aren't any discussions." -- that is undoubtedly true.
However, it doesn't mean there won't be discussions later in the year. In fact, Liberty Chairman John Malone has already publicly floated proposals to join with EchoStar on various projects, including building a joint High-Definition TV platform to save costs.
