As for Charlie
1. Not the right time; he's putting his bet into 5G
2. Too much money
3. He would not accept a MINORITY ownership
Ironically, let the Private Equity Fund (and AT&T) further ruin the value of DirecTV for a good while, and it will be they and AT&T who will be begging Charlie to buy controlling interest or the whole thing--for a lot less money. By then the time and price might be right for Mr. Ergen. By that time, there could be viable options for Pay-TV other than satellite in rural areas, and the DOJ may approve of sale. But even by then bying DirecTV makes sense ONLY for Dish. I can't see anyone else even thinking of buying DirecTV.
On the other hand, if Apollo agrees to buy a minority interest, it could be the beginning of yard sale of whatever DirecTV assets and hardware they can rip-out and get along without because I can't see any other way this could a wise investment for Apollo, or anybody.