- France's Altice (OTCPK:ATCEY) isn't only looking at a multibillion-dollar buy of U.S. cableco Suddenlink -- it's also checking out Time Warner Cable (TWC) and has had initial talks with them about a deal.
- It's an uptick in high-stakes negotiations for the future cable/broadband industry, and those negotiations could pit billionaire Altice founder Patrick Drahi against another titan, John Malone, who would back Charter (NASDAQ:CHTR) in its own deal for TWC.
- Similar to Charter's approach -- where a deal for Bright House Networks would precede a TWC purchase -- Altice's deal for Suddenlink would be a precursor to its own bid.
- Time Warner Cable had moved up 1.3% in after-hours action, putting it just above $160/share -- above the $132.50/share that Charter bid for the company in early 2014, and the roughly $158.82 that Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) was offering in its failed bid.
- Previously: WSJ: Altice in talks for $8B-$10B buy of Suddenlink (May. 19 2015)
- Previously: Reuters: Charter's $10.4B Bright House buy on track (May. 18 2015)
- Previously: WSJ: Charter seeking up to $30B in debt for a TWC deal (May. 09 2015)