AT&T Merger Could Threaten Netflix's & Amazon's Competitive Edge
*By Alisha Haridasani*
AT&T's $85 billion takeover of Time Warner will disrupt traditional broadcast and upend internet streaming, fundamentally changing the way consumers watch TV, said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at BTIG.
With content from HBO, CNN, and Warner Bros., AT&T will launch a "skinny bundle" of 30 channels called AT&T Watch that will be free for all AT&T wireless subscribers, Greenfield said.
“That is going to be a really disruptive move by AT&T,” he added. “It’s going to be interesting to see how the other tech companies react to this.”
Streaming services Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, which create original programming that reaches consumers directly via the internet, have broken the broadcast and cable TV stranglehold on content, putting pressure on subscription and TV advertising revenue.
“Roughly 20 percent of American households have cut the cord, discontinuing traditional MVPD services,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote in his [opinion](http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/sites/dcd/files/17-2511opinion.pdf) approving the AT&T bid. “That number, high as it is, continues to grow.”
The AT&T-Time Warner merger, which is expected to be completed next week, sets the stage for more vertical integrations between content creators and distributors. Comcast is expected to make another [bid](https://cheddar.com/videos/rich-greenfield-murdoch-no-longer-set-on-selling-to-disney-for-stock) for 21st Century Fox’s assets as early as Wednesday in an effort to wrestle it away from Disney. If Comcast is successful, it would marry Fox’s Hollywood studio and its British broadcaster Sky with Comcast's NBC Universal.
Comcast may partner up with other companies to make that offer more attractive for Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch, said Greenfield.
“In order to really beat Disney, they sort of need a stronger balance sheet,” he said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-at-and-ts-victory-is-monumental).
President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will tap into its strategic oil reserve in coordination with other nations and release 50 million barrels in an effort to lower energy prices.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Yair Nechmad, Nayax CEO, discusses the future of cashless payments, and how cashless payments give retailers a competitive edge and allow merchants to scale business; Jason Thomas, Global CEO of Tappit, breaks down how the pandemic accelerated the transition to cash-free live events, and why that trend is here to stay; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Steam's 'Blockchain Revolution.'
Not long ago, banning cash at a large public event would have been seen as a crazy idea that would deter sales. But our cash-free future is getting closer with the use of contactless payments being implemented in sports venues, music festivals, concerts, and more. Jason Thomas, Global CEO of Tappit, joins Cheddar Reveals to break down how the pandemic accelerated the transition to cash-free live events, and why that trend is here to stay.
Yair Nechmad, Nayax CEO, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the future of cashless payments, and how cashless payments give retailers a competitive edge and allow merchants to scale business.
Bentley aims to become end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030. The luxury car brand has outlined steps to achieve this goal, including switching its entire model range to plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles by 2026 and become fully electric by 2030. Christophe Georges, president & CEO of Bentley Americas, joined Cheddar to discuss this new pledge and what consumers can expect from future models.
PepsiCo has announced a new goal to advance food security for 50 million people by 2030. To help achieve this goal, the company is partnering with local communities around the world to expand access to nutritious foods, increase productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers. Jon Banner, president of the PepsiCo Foundation, joined Cheddar to discuss this new pledge and his argument for why the world has to rethink the way it produces and distributes food.
ORIGYN Foundation, an NFT authentication start-up based in Switzerland, has secured $20 million in funding from investors like Paris Hilton, Bill Ackman, and Polychain Capital, among others. The non-profit, now valued at $300 million, uses AI technology to verify non-fungible tokens across art, collectibles, digital media and luxury goods. Daniel Haudenschild, CEO of ORIGYN Entreprise, discusses how the money will help put power back into the hands of artists, creators, and collectors.
