AT&T’s Time Warner merger kicks off a new era of streaming-video monopolies

Today, the US District Court for the District of Columbia cleared the way for the world's largest telecom to buy the world's third-largest entertainment company, kicking off a new era in how content gets distributed online.

Pending appeal, AT&T will now be able to purchase Time Warner for $85 billion, bringing subsidiaries like CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. movie studios along for the ride. Before today, AT&T's holdings were mostly confined to distributing information, either through wireline internet, wireless phone service, or broadcast satellite TV. Now, it will own a major stake in some of the largest companies producing that content, with major implications for anyone trying to stream video online.

The ruling will have an immediate...

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