AT&T might sell DirecTV after all – report

AT&T may be considering a sale of DirecTV, its struggling satellite provider, despite indications to the contrary. But, the likelihood of a sale depends on whom you ask. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is exploring a divestiture. It has looked at potentially spinning off DirecTV into a separate public company, or potentially selling the company’s assets to rival satellite distributor Dish Network. But, according to CNBC’s David Faber, AT&T is not actively considering a sale of DirecTV. The conflicting reports are bubbling up in the wake of a letter investment fund Elliott Management last week sent to AT&T. Elliott – which has taken a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T – called on the company to divest certain assets including DirecTV, which has lost millions of subscribers in the years since AT&T acquired it for $67 billion. “In fact, trends are continuing to erode, with AT&T’s premium TV subscribers in rapid decline as the industry, particularly satellite, struggles mightily,” the fund wrote in a press release. “Unfortunately, it has become clear that AT&T acquired DirecTV at the absolute peak of the linear TV market.”