AT&T Sells its Stake In Hulu to Disney (and Comcast) for $1.43B

The Verge writes:

[It’s a] move that will now give Disney (which already had gained a controlling interest in Hulu through its Fox purchase) even more control going forward….

Disney gaining even more control over Hulu could also mean a radical shift in what Hulu even is.

Now, Disney owns 66 percent of Hulu. The remaining stakeholder is Comcast which, as a result, now owns 33 percent. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, and it might only be a matter of time before Comcast pulls its Hulu content back to its own streaming service. Soon, it appears, each and every studio will have its very own exclusive subscription service.

DOJ Files Appeal to Block AT&T Time-Warner Merger

The US Department of Justice isn’t hip on the idea of AT&T and Time-Warner merging, so it’s contesting the government’s approval of the deal. The DOJ filed an appeal to overturn the merger approval over concerns it will reduce competition in the pay television market. Experts, however, don’t think there’s much hope for the appeal. CNBC said,

Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson told CNBC’s “Fast Money” that given how decisive [Judge] Leon’s ruling was, there aren’t a lot of obvious arguments the government can make for its appeal. He said, however, that the Justice Department may try push back on the idea that AT&T wouldn’t take into consideration it is an integrated company when it is negotiating programming agreements.

Of course, AT&T and Time-Warner say the merger won’t stifle competition. If the court moves ahead with the appeal and grants a stay that’ll put the whole deal on hold, so it’s a safe bet AT&T is going to fight this in a big way.

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Unlimited Data Plan Comparison

After spending years pressuring customers to give up their unlimited data plans, the cell carriers have come full circle and are offering unlimited data plans. Sorting out which carrier offers the best deal—AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon—isn’t exactly straight forward, so we ranked each based on their features. Read on to see which comes out on top.

AT&T Officially Kills Off 2G, Original iPhone Support

Farewell, 2G. AT&T officially ended 2G support on its network as of the first of the year, and it’s a safe bet almost no one noticed. Dropping 2G support means older phones like the original iPhone won’t work for phone calls any more, and it also opens wireless spectrum that’ll eventually benefit LTE.

AT&T to Intro Opt-out 'Stream Saver' Video Quality Throttling in 2017

AT&T is launching a new feature in early 2017 called Stream Saver that throttles streaming video quality in the name of saving customers from hitting their wireless data caps. The cell service provider seems to have learned from T-Mobile’s headaches, however, because Stream Saver doesn’t include any streaming partners, and users can easily turn it on or off whenever they like.

AT&T to Buy Time Warner in $85.4B Deal

AT&T is about to get a lot bigger because the communication company struck a deal to buy Time Warner for about US$85.4 billion. The two companies hope to close the deal by the end of 2017, but are already facing scrutiny over the impact a combined AT&T and Time Warner.

AT&T's New Mobile Share Advantage Plan Costs Compared

On Sunday AT&T rolled out their new Mobile Share Advantage Plans and, along with them, their online comparison tool that shows you just what the new plans will cost you. Digging in this morning it’s pretty evident that only a handful of people currently on Mobile Share Value plans will actually save money with these new plans. Click through to see the math and the details.

Is it Worth it to Switch to AT&T's New Plans? Maybe

AT&T is doing away with its Mobile Share Value plans and introducing Mobile Share Advantage this weekend. The new plans do away with data overage fees in favor of throttling your connection when you use too much, and may save you money. But don’t rush out and change your contract without checking to see if you really are getting a deal because not everyone wins with AT&T’s new pricing.