EchoStar Looks To Delay Merger Decision
from the take-your-time dept
Following the reports from two weeks ago that the EchoStar/DirecTV merger was likely to be rejected, EchoStar is now asking the government to wait on its ruling, so that they can make "major revisions" to the deal that would hopefully make it more palatable to the Department of Justice. The conspiracy theory on this one, by the way, is that EchoStar's Charlie Ergen will do whatever he can to delay the decision. While he would still like to complete the deal in his favor, if the deal does get rejected he wants to string it out for as long as possible. Since the deal was first agreed to, EchoStar's Dish Network has been picking up a lot more subscribers, while DirecTV hasn't been able to keep pace. The longer Ergen has to not really compete with DirecTV, the better position EchoStar would be in if Rupert Murdoch and News Corp eventually do step in and buy DirecTV themselves.
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