trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/dbOXM9QriiSh4RkDFEM-6w2 content esgSubNav
In This List

AT&T's Puerto Rico sale; Mississippi's T-Mobile deal; US' Huawei reprieve

Blog

Broadcast deal market recap 2021

Blog

Volume of Investment Research Reports on Inflation Increased in Q4 2021

Blog

Price wars in India: Disney+ Hotstar vs. Amazon Prime Video vs. Netflix

Blog

Using ESG Analysis to Support a Sustainable Future


AT&T's Puerto Rico sale; Mississippi's T-Mobile deal; US' Huawei reprieve

Top news

* AT&T Inc. agreed to sell its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America Ltd. for $1.95 billion in cash at closing. The transaction includes network assets, including spectrum; real estate and leases; customers, including 1.1 million wireless subscribers; and contracts. The deal is expected to close within six to nine months, subject to regulatory approvals.

* Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood exited a multistate lawsuit against the proposed merger between T-Mobile US Inc. and Sprint Corp., after securing a settlement with the wireless carriers. As part of the settlement, the combined entity will roll out a 5G network in Mississippi within three years from the deal's closing.

* The U.S. government is planning to issue licenses to let some American companies supply nonsensitive goods to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., The New York Times reports, citing people with the knowledge of the matter. President Donald Trump gave the green light in a meeting last week in a move that is expected to ease tensions between Washington and Beijing.

* Walt Disney Co. is leaping into the competitive streaming business, barring Netflix Inc. ads and pulling its CEO from the board of Apple Inc., but analysts said much of the effort is posturing, and the hype could create more buzz for streaming TV in general.

Internet & OTT

* Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Oct. 23 at a hearing titled "An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact on the Financial Services and Housing Sectors," Reuters reports. Lawmakers are expected to grill Zuckerberg regarding Facebook's efforts to help launch a global cryptocurrency, Libra.

* Pay TV operator Sky Italia SRL made Netflix Inc. available on its home entertainment platform Sky Q, Digital TV Europe reports. Subscribers of Sky Italia's Entertainment Plus package worth €15.39 per month will gain access to Netflix's standard tier. A stand-alone monthly Netflix subscription costs €11.99 for the standard plan and €15.99 for the premium plan.

* Amazon.com Inc. picked up the global rights to USA (US) drama "Treadstone," Deadline.com reports. Prime Video will roll out the series outside of the U.S. in January 2020 after its debut on the USA Network on Oct. 15.

* U.K. MP Damian Collins stressed the need for online platforms such as Facebook to combat the spread of misinformation, saying that "social media isn't very good at transparency." He added that highly partisan companies can flood social media channels and it is not always clear who is behind certain content.

Technology

* U.S. Senator Marco Rubio wants the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to conduct a full review of China's Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd.'s 2017 purchase of musical.ly Inc., a California-based video sharing platform it later rebranded as TikTok. According to the senator, the national security implications of the acquisition must be reviewed due to TikTok's alleged censorship of content deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, a move that poses "serious long-term challenges" to the U.S. and its allies.

* Apple pulled HKmap.Live app from its online stores after receiving criticism from the Chinese media, Variety reports. The app was being used by the protesters in Hong Kong to share the location of protests and police operations in the region.

* In other Apple news, the tech giant started selling Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox Wireless Controller, after adding support for the gamepad in the latest software updates for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and the Mac, The Verge reports. The controller costs $59.95.

* Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC commenced test production of a 5G smartphone, which could be unveiled as soon as next week, the Nikkei Asian Review reports. The handset is part of the company's push into branded hardware.

The day ahead

Early morning futures indicators pointed to a lower opening for the U.S. market.

In Asia, the Hang Seng jumped 0.10% to 25,707.93, while the Nikkei 225 jumped 0.45% to 21,551.98.

In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 increased 0.04% to 7,169.18, and the Euronext 100 dropped 0.06% to 1,065.92.

On the macro front

The consumer price index, the jobless claims report, the EIA natural gas report, the Treasury budget report, the Fed balance sheet and the money supply report are due out today.

Click here to read about today's financial markets, setting out the factors driving stocks, bonds and currencies around the world ahead of the New York open.

Featured news

The Daily Dose Europe: BT's 5G rollout; Alibaba's Russia deal; Equinix's data center JV: British Telecom is set to launch its 5G service in selected U.K. locations; Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. completed the formation of an e-commerce joint venture in Russia; and Equinix Inc. closed its European data center joint venture with Singaporean wealth fund GIC Pte. Ltd.

The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: China/NBA ties; Goldman's Megvii IPO role; TikTok probe request: Several Chinese tech giants suspended cooperation with the National Basketball Association Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is evaluating its role in Megvii Technology Ltd.'s planned IPO, and a U.S. senator is requesting the CFIUS to review ByteDance's acquisition of musical.ly.

Washington Watch: Competing 5G spectrum plans take center stage as FCC moves toward decision: The primary issue is what the U.S. Federal Communications Commission should do with the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz band, which is currently allocated in the U.S. for fixed-satellite service or space-to-Earth transmissions.

Apple's streaming service; Netflix's content push; Dutch test run for Disney+: Apple unveiled its subscription streaming service Apple TV+; Netflix unveiled plans to increase investments in Italian and British content; and Disney is testing its streaming service Disney+ ahead of its full launch.

Google eyes deal to beat TikTok; Indonesia's Gojek launches streaming service: Google held talks to buy video-sharing startup Firework in a move to challenge ByteDance's video app TikTok, while Indonesian ride-hailing app PT Go-Jek Indonesia launched a video streaming service called GoPlay.

Featured research

Economics of Networks: Cable nets for kids enjoy wide carriage on skinny bundles: As virtual multichannel services continue to adjust channel lineups and price points to create an optimal bundle, kids cable networks have become staples on most of their base packages.

Economics of TV & Film: Global Film Release Report – August 2019: The Global Film Release Report for August 2019 is now available.

Netflix's crown grows heavy in the UK: The streamer increased U.K. content spend and prices in the face of increased competition from rivals including Disney and Apple.

The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7:30 a.m. ET. Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.