Charter and Cox Announce $34.5 Billion Merger: What This Could Mean for Your Cable and Broadband

After feeling the heat from wireless providers and servicii de streaming, traditional cable companies Charter and Cox are seemingly fighting back with the announcement of a merger. Charter, more commonly known as Spectru, will buy Cox for around $34.5 billion, one of the largest deals in the industry over the last year. It’ll also become a much bigger furnizor de servicii de bandă largă. 

Charter este a doua cea mai mare companie de cablu listată la bursă, după Comcast. Cu peste 6,5 milioane de clienți, Cox este a treia cea mai mare companie de cablu. Împreună, cele două ar deveni cea mai mare furnizor de televiziune prin cablu și bandă largă în SUA.

According to Joe Supan, CNET senior broadband reporter, the deal between Charter and Cox completely upends the internet landscape. It’s no secret that traditional cable companies have had to fight for customer interest against streaming services for years. Recently, the major TV outlet ESPN announced details about a standalone streaming service. Fox and Warner Bros. also unveiled similar plans.

“Both Spectrum and Cox have been losing subscribers steadily over the past year,” Supan said. “A combination of cord-cutting, expanded 5G home internet options and the end of the Program de conectivitate accesibilă have all hit these cable providers hard.”

The combined companies would be called Cox Communications, with the name change to occur within a year of the deal closing. The merger is still subject to regulatory and Charter shareholder approvals before it’s final, however.

Cox customers will see a brand change 

Conform comunicatului, Charter va cumpăra diviziile de fibră optică comercială, IT gestionat și cloud ale Cox Communications. Cox Enterprises va contribui cu divizia de cablu rezidențial a Cox Communications către Charter Holdings, care este un parteneriat filial existent al Charter.

Spectrum will be the consumer-facing brand under the new company name Cox Communications. So, if your current provider is Cox, you should expect to see a logo change on the vans that come to your house if the deal closes.

Beyond that, we’re not sure what changes are coming, if any. “Ultimately, I don’t think this will have much of an impact on customers,” Supan said. “If you already have Cox or Spectrum, the most significant change you’ll notice will probably just be the name on your internet bill.”

We don’t know any more details about the plans for how the merger will impact pricing. 

A representative from Charter Communications did not immediately respond to a request for comment.