Charter and Cox to combine businesses in $34.5 billion megamerger

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Charter and Cox have announced plans to merge in a $34.5 billion deal that will create a cable and internet behemoth. The two telecom companies say the merger will allow them to “aggressively compete” against larger broadband companies and mobile providers that have rolled out internet plans of their own. Charter, which currently has 31.5 million customers, and Cox, which has 6.5 million, both face an increasing threat from streaming services like Netflix. Sports-focused streaming packages like those offered by Comcast, DirecTV, Fox, and soon, ESPN, also let viewers get their sports fix without a cable subscription. The combined company will change its name to Cox within a year after the deal closes, while Spectrum will become the name of Cox’s consumer-facing brand. As part of the deal, Cox customers will get Charter’s “simple and trans ... Read full article.