# Is this real? AOL to Buy AT&T Cable for 9 Billion



## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

First off I am not trying to violate copyright. This was sent to me in email, I am trying to find out if this story is real or not.

The article said it came from AP, but I have searched and can find nothing on it, leading me to believe its bogus.

If it is true this is big news. Anyone know the scoop?



> NEW YORK (AP) -- AOL Time Warner Inc. is buying out AT&T Corp.'s stake in their cable television, moviemaking and programming partnership for an estimated $8.5 billion to $9 billion, and said it may sell a stake in its cable TV operations in an initial public offering as early as next year.
> 
> The deal announced Wednesday involves the decade-old Time Warner Entertainment partnership, which includes most of AOL Time Warner's cable TV systems and its Warner Bros. film studio, its Home Box Office pay-TV service and other programming businesses.
> 
> ...


----------



## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

AT&T owns part of TW Cable. AOL TW is buying AT&T out so that Comcast won't own any part of TW Cable.


----------



## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

I found the AP article you were quoting...

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/020821/at_t_aol_time_warner_7.html


----------



## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

Here is another about AOL TW/ AT&T and broadband...

http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/020823/1028185977520_1.html


----------



## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

Remember its not AOL buying AT&T, its AOL buying AT&T shares that they own in TW Cable.


----------



## PeterB (Jul 25, 2002)

Cable companies, AOL.


Wow. It just seems like a prefect fit. 2 antiquated delivery systems, offering a watered down, inferior product, run by a group of incompetent morons.

I just wish the content side of AOL/TW was required to break of from the provider side before the merger. Its always a bad idea when one company holds that much control.


----------



## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

Well they are going to spin off TW Cable into its own company...


----------



## Guest (Aug 30, 2002)

This is just to dissolve the entity known as "Time Warner Entertainment".

Time Warner Entertainment is about 75 percent owned by AOL Time Warner, and about 25 percent owned by AT&T.

By dissolving the Time Warner Entertainment partnership, AOL would get full ownership in their parts of the Warner Bros. Studio, The WB, and HBO, and will leave AT&T with a smaller part of Time Warner Cable.

This is simply a restructuring deal, to move many of the content assets out of the TWE partnership, to AOL.


----------



## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Warner Bros. studio at one point partially owned by Toshiba (and Columbia/Tri-Star by Sony)?


----------



## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

Sony owns Columbia/Tri-Star

http://www.sonypictures.com/

Warner Brothers and Toshiba entered a joint venture to "produce and distribute movies and television programs for the Japanese and world markets".

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/1998_07/pr1401.htm


----------

