Charter to Buy Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks

[Poke]

Looks like they are going to try it again.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charter-to-Buy-Time-Warner-Cable-and-Bright-House-Networks-133917

 

[charlesrshell]

If regulators blocked Comcast from a TWC merger, will they block Charter too!

 

[Poke]

Charter and Time Warner Cable agree on $55 billion merger

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/26/charter-time-warner-cable-merger/

 

[dishcomm]

If regulators blocked Comcast from a TWC merger, will they block Charter too!

This one makes Charter a 24 million subscriber company. Smaller than Directv.
As opposed to Comcast:
-Charter does not own a major tv network.
-Charter cannot control content as at least to my knowledge, Charter does not produce programming.
I am thinking this gets through regulatory scrutiny.
And to those concerned with pricing., unless an area is served by two cable companies or dual plant, cable outlets are defacto mini monopolies anyway.
Typically, the local or incumbent telco is their competition.

 

[CK SatGuy]

Still, Charter wants to be the new cable giant between buying both bright house and TWC.

 

[charlesrshell]

Still, Charter wants to be the new cable giant between buying both bright house and TWC.

WOW, I thought Charter was in deep financial trouble several years ago. I only have my Internet with Charter.

 

[bobvick]

WOW, I thought Charter was in deep financial trouble several years ago. I only have my Internet with Charter.

They filed for Chapter 11 in 2009 I think it was. Re-emerged a few months later. I think John Malone of TCI fame is a pretty big investor in the "new" Charter.

 

[charlesrshell]

They filed for Chapter 11 in 2009 I think it was. Re-emerged a few months later. I think John Malone of TCI fame is a pretty big investor in the "new" Charter.

IC, I guess Charter is doing better now. I was looking in the Bright House web site and noticed they have Internet speed in Florida 300 Mbps down and 15 up. Here in the St Louis area the fastest we can get is 120 down and 5 up. I hope we can get faster speeds with the merger.

 

[CK SatGuy]

They filed for Chapter 11 in 2009 I think it was. Re-emerged a few months later. I think John Malone of TCI fame is a pretty big investor in the "new" Charter.

Correct, Malone, through Liberty Media, owns 25.65% of Charter and he's one of the many a-holes that's been pushing for consolidation of the cable TV industry.

 

[HDdude24]

IC, I guess Charter is doing better now. I was looking in the Bright House web site and noticed they have Internet speed in Florida 300 Mbps down and 15 up. Here in the St Louis area the fastest we can get is 120 down and 5 up. I hope we can get faster speeds with the merger.

Chrater still uses analog in my area

 

[Tampa8]

This one makes Charter a 24 million subscriber company. Smaller than Directv.
As opposed to Comcast:
-Charter does not own a major tv network.
-Charter cannot control content as at least to my knowledge, Charter does not produce programming.
I am thinking this gets through regulatory scrutiny.
And to those concerned with pricing., unless an area is served by two cable companies or dual plant, cable outlets are defacto mini monopolies anyway.
Typically, the local or incumbent telco is their competition.

100% agree. I think this has a chance. As for Brighthouse it is available in only nine (9) cities/areas in five states and has been looking for a buyer.

 

[mdavej]

Chrater still uses analog in my area

Are you sure about that? They supposedly completed their all digital conversion at the end of last year.

 

[Claude Greiner]

First of all Brighthouse sucks from a retailer point of view. I placed 100 orders with them, and only 18 got installed. So for me, Charter has a better order entry system which I would welcome over what I deal with now. I don't see any issues with Brighthouse being bought out.

As far as Time Warner, I think we got the same issues as with the Comcast merger. But either way, don't care if this one gets approved or not. They are both good companies.

 

[kittyhas1000legs]

As someone about to move to a Charter area, I'm not sure if I care. So long as they don't have Warner-style customer service.

 

[dishcomm]

WOW, I thought Charter was in deep financial trouble several years ago. I only have my Internet with Charter.

There are lots of misconceptions regarding bankruptcy filings.
Typically, the company filing is deep in debt, but a strategic( which most of these are) bankruptcy allows the company to reorganize, settle debts for pennies on the dollar and essentially start anew.

 

[dishcomm]

Are you sure about that? They supposedly completed their all digital conversion at the end of last year.

This is what one runs into in places where large cable cos have gobbled up these mom and pop companies. The agreements that the buyer cobbles together allow a certain time frame to upgrade all plant and equipment to the standards set forth in the new agreement. The bad news this could take years.
For example. Hilton Head SC.....Time Warner took over when Adelphia went down in flames after the embezzling scandal.
That was over 15 yrs ago. To date there is STILL 30 year old plant in the ground. Internet speeds are archaic. Service drops in the community in which I used to live are RG 59 in some cases. I see some drops not even buried as erosion has taken the sandy soil away.

 

[dishcomm]

First of all Brighthouse sucks from a retailer point of view. I placed 100 orders with them, and only 18 got installed. So for me, Charter has a better order entry system which I would welcome over what I deal with now. I don't see any issues with Brighthouse being bought out.

As far as Time Warner, I think we got the same issues as with the Comcast merger. But either way, don't care if this one gets approved or not. They are both good companies.

Really? How hard is it to connect cable tv/internet?.....Brighthouse serves the area in which my parents live. The lag time between initial order for service and actual completion of the job can be weeks!
Its insane.

 

[DishSubLA]

I hate to say it, but this is actually a good merger, but ONLY because we had allowed that horrible Comcast/NBCUniversal merge. Charter is just too small to make the investments to be a strong competitor and offer consumers a true, high quality alternative to satellite and Telcos, IF someone even has access to AT&T Uverse (soon to be merged with DirecTV) or the every dwindling Verizon FiOS. As it is today, Charter is bottom of the barrel, and as Charter is my local cable company, it isn't even close to giving me what I can get with Dish or DirecTV, and that include NO WHOLE HOME DVR. They keep wanting to install FOUR separate DVR's in my house (I have a 5th TV that needs DVR services, too!). I just dumped that model a few years ago for the Hopper and now the HWS. Further, they are dead last in the digital transition. I do have to say my personal experience with the high speed internet has been very positive, but their TV service stinks, riddled with bugs and service interruptions and something from the last centrury--as in 1980's, except for those HORRIBLE Charter DVR's we get here that seem out of the 1990's even though it was a product of the 2000's.

If those of us in Charter territory can get at least what the TWC people have access to in regards to technology for the TV services, then I will have a sufficiently decent 3rd competitor. I will have TWO good options should choose to leave Dish rather than just have to go to DirecTV, still the most expensive? Them's is just my two cents. I despise such mergers--but once we allow a mega merger, as we've done in the media landscape so far, we are STUCK having to approve even more such mergers so that the now smaller competitors can be something closer to equal competitors. YUCK! But, so it goes.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Really? How hard is it to connect cable tv/internet?.....Brighthouse serves the area in which my parents live. The lag time between initial order for service and actual completion of the job can be weeks!
Its insane.

I think they steal my sales internally.

 

[Spike]

I have had Charter for a little less than a year. IMO their Television HD package has been very good in my area. The programing is as good as either Directv or Dish Network. Having had all three, all three are good in this area. Also, Charter's Spectrum HD picture quality has also been very good. In my area it offers a better picture than even Directv. And I do understand that Cable picture quality varies depending on where one lives. Further, I've not experienced lapses in reception due to too much rain or snow storms. I think I can remember one time in the months that I've had Charter, where I've had a service interruption. And that interruption was short lived.

On the negative side: Their DVR's and HD Cable Boxes are ancient, slow, and cumbersome to use. It cost me a good deal of cash up front to purchase the Tivo boxes that I now have in my home. And the Hopper is IMO the better of the two DVR's between it and my current Tivo Boxes.

Now, would I go with Charter again in a similar set up to what I have now? Absolutely yes, in a heartbeat. It is so nice not having to worry about a two year commitment with either Directv or Dish Network. And now that I've gotten used to how a Tivo DVR operates, it is more than adequate. And though I'd still say the Hopper is better, I do not miss it to the point of yearning to switch back.

As far as the merger goes, I have mixed opinions about if I'd want it to go through or not. First, the more competition in the market place the better for those of us that subscribe to companies in order to view television programs. So from that perspective, I'm against the merger. Second, Maybe the merger would provide an opportunity to improve their poor DVR and HD Set Top Box offerings. So from that perspective, I'd favor the merger.