In this Aug. 10, 2015 file photo, Stephen Colbert participates in the "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" segment of the CBS Summer TCA Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Stephen Colbert will host the annual Emmy Awards telecast, this year to be shown on his home network of CBS.
The annual awards show honoring the best in television will take place on Sept. 17 in Los Angeles.
Colbert is host of the "Late Show" on CBS, and the former host of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report." In talking about hosting the 69th Emmy telecast, Colbert made sly reference to the Trump administration's unprovable assertion that Trump's inauguration was the most watched ever.
Said Colbert: "This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period. Both in person and around the globe."
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
