U.S. antitrust officials have started talking to representatives from AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc. about possible conditions that could secure approval of their $85.4 billion tie-up, according to people familiar with the matter.
The early-stage discussions suggest that government lawyers have nearly finished their months-long look at how AT&T, the biggest pay-TV distributor, would reshape the media landscape with its bid for the owner of CNN and HBO -- and shows that the sides have moved on to talking about how they can make the merger work without harming rivals.
