AT&T Explores Parting Ways With DirecTV Unit – The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal

AT&T Inc. is exploring parting with its DirecTV unit, people familiar with the matter said, a sharp reversal from Chief Executive Randall Stephenson’s strategy to make the $ 49 billion bet on the satellite provider a key piece of the phone giant’s future.

The telecom giant has considered various options, including a spinoff of DirecTV into a separate public company and a combination of DirecTV’s assets with Dish Network Corp ., its satellite-TV rival, the people said.

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