In this June 5, 2014 file photo, a man walks past a Google sign at the company's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters (AP file photo).
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --
Google is introducing a way for shoppers browsing on their smartphones to buy merchandise by tapping on a button included in the ads appearing in its search results.
The buying button unveiled Wednesday is part of Google's attempt to make it easier for people to shop on mobile devices and divert online traffic from e-commerce leader Amazon.com Inc.
The feature, called "Purchases on Google," completes sales using financial information that already has been stored with Google. Participating merchants can still gather information about customers using Google's buying button.
Facebook also has been testing a similar buying button in ads appearing in its social network.
About a dozen retailers are initially using Google's buying button. Google is hoping to increase the number of merchants before the end of this year.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
