DirecTV Shareholders Approve AT&T Merger

The FCC may still be kicking the tires on the deal, but stockholders in DirecTV Thursday voted "overwhelmingly" to approve the proposed merger with AT&T.

The final tally had more than 99% of the votes cast (77% of outstanding shares) going for adoption of the merger agreement.

The proposed deal can't actually be finalized until both the Justice Department and FCC sign off on it.

The FCC is on day 49 of its informal 180 day shot clock on vetting the deal and usually coordinates with Justice.

AT&T in May announced it had agreed to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion ($95 per share).

The deal has some high-profile backers, including the AFL-CIO and Microsoft, but has been challenged by Public Knowledge. D.C. deal watchers are expecting the merger to get the OK from regulators, though with conditions.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.