Deals

AT&T-Time Warner Merger Draws Grilling From U.S. Lawmakers

  • AT&T’s Stephenson, Time Warner’s Bewkes speak to Senate panel
  • Lawmakers scrutinize $85.4 billion deal for owner of HBO, CNN

AT&T, Time Warner Execs Defend Merits of Merger

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U.S. lawmakers grilled chief executives of AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc. about whether their proposed tie-up would benefit consumers and called for antitrust officials to closely scrutinize potential competitive harm from the deal.

Republicans and Democrats questioned at a hearing Wednesday whether the merger will give AT&T the incentive to harm rival distributors of content that competes with its DirecTV business as well as entertainment producers that compete with Time Warner, which owns HBO and CNN.