Charter Nearing 55 Billion Deal to Acquire Time Warner Cable
Charter Communications, in which John Malone's Liberty Media owns a big stake, is nearing a deal to acquire Time Warner Cable for about 55.1 billion in cash and stock, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing people familiar with the situation. Comcast recently abandoned plans to buy Time Warner Cable amid regulators' opposition. Charter would pay about 195 per share, with 100 a share of that coming in cash and the rest in stock, according to the Bloomberg report. It is also expected to take on debt. The combined cable company would have 23 million total subscribers, second in the cable industry to Comcast's roughly 27 million customer relations as of the end of the first quarter. The deal could be announced as early as Tuesday, Bloomberg said. A spokesman for Time Warner Cable declined to comment. Charter representatives couldn't immediately be reached for comment.