AT&T announces deal to spin off DirecTV into new company owned by… AT&T

Enlarge / AT&T's logo at its corporate headquarters on March 13, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (credit: Getty Images | Ronald Martinez )

Nearly six years after buying DirecTV for $48.5 billion, AT&T today announced a deal to sell a minority stake in the business unit and spin it out into a new subsidiary.

AT&T said its deal with private equity firm TPG Capital values the TV business at $16.25 billion. A press release said that AT&T and TPG "will establish a new company named DirecTV that will own and operate AT&T's US video business unit consisting of the DirecTV, AT&T TV, and U-verse video services."

AT&T will own 70 percent of the spun-off DirecTV company's common equity while TPG will own 30 percent. DirecTV in its new form "will be jointly governed by a board with two representatives from each of AT&T and TPG, as well as a fifth seat for the CEO, which at closing will be Bill Morrow, CEO of AT&T's US video unit," the announcement said.

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