AT&T Closes Sale Of DIRECTV to TPG

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.

AT&T has announced that it has closed the sale of its 70 percent stake in DIRECTV to the private equity firm, TPG.

The deal gives TPG complete ownership of the TV company which includes its satellite and streaming businesses as well as U-verse.

The sale, which was first announced last September 30, includes an initial payment of $2 billion to AT&T in 2025 with an additional payment of $500 million coming in 2029. AT&T said last year that it expects to receive $7.6 billion in cash from DIRECTV through 2029.

The telco, which purchased DIRECTV in 2015 for $49 billion, sold 30 percent of the company to TPG in 2021. AT&T had hoped that its original purchase of DIRECTV would enable it to use the TV service to attract and keep wireless customers and broaden its audience. However, in the decade that AT&T owned DIRECTV in whole or part, the TV provider lost at least 14 million subscribers.

Phillip Swann

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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch TV. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.