Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On September 29, 2024, AT&T Inc. (the “Company”) agreed to sell its majority interest in DIRECTV Entertainment Holdings LLC (“DIRECTV”) to TPG, which holds the minority interest, for which the Company expects to receive approximately $7.6 billion in cash payments from DIRECTV and the Buyer through 2029. This represents:
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$1.7 billion of pre-tax quarterly distributions in the second half of 2024, inclusive of the expected pre-tax quarterly distribution for the third quarter of 2024, which is not part of the agreement; |
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$5.4 billion of after-tax cash distributions and other payments not subject to tax in 2025; and |
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$0.5 billion of final payments in 2029 of after-tax proceeds. |
Subject to the terms of the agreement, AT&T Diversified MVPD Holdings LLC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company (“Seller”), will sell all of the equity interests in its wholly-owned subsidiary AT&T MVPG Holdings LLC (“Holdings”), which directly holds the Company’s equity interests in DIRECTV, to a TPG affiliate, Merlin Parent 2024, Inc. (“Buyer”). Under the agreement, Seller will receive from Buyer an initial payment of $2 billion, subject to certain deductions, during 2025, and additional payments from Buyer totaling $500 million in 2029. The Company expects to continue to receive distribution payments from DIRECTV in the ordinary course through 2025. For the full year 2024, the Company continues to expect these distribution payments to be approximately $3 billion in the aggregate. For 2025, the Company expects these distribution payments to be approximately $2.8 billion in the aggregate on a pre-tax basis. Such distributions for the fourth quarter of 2024 and full year 2025 are inclusive of the Scheduled Payments and Common Catch Up Unreturned Contributions (each as defined in the Seller Note). If the transaction closes prior to the receipt of all of the distribution payments for 2025, Seller will receive comparable quarterly payments from Buyer following the closing on a post-tax basis through the remainder of 2025. The transaction also contemplates that DIRECTV will make a special distribution prior to March 31, 2025, of at least $1.625 billion that will be paid to the equity holders of DIRECTV, of which the Company would receive approximately 70%.
The Company expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2025.
The information set forth in Item 1.01 below is incorporated by reference into this Item 7.01.
On September 30, 2024, the Company issued a press release announcing the execution of the Purchase Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby. A copy of such press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
AT&T Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Services”), entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement, dated September 29, 2024 (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and among, (i) solely for purposes of Section 10.14 of the Purchase Agreement, Services, (ii) Seller, (iii) Holdings, (iv) DIRECTV, (v) Buyer and (vii) solely for purposes of Section 10.15 of the Purchase Agreement, TPG Partners IX, L.P. As previously disclosed in a Form 8-K filed on August 2, 2021, Services previously contributed the U.S. video business unit of the Company and its subsidiaries to DIRECTV in exchange for interests in DIRECTV. Holdings and TPG VIII Merlin Investment Holdings, L.P. (“Investor”) are the equity holders of DIRECTV.
The Purchase Agreement provides for the sale of Seller’s equity interests in Holdings to Buyer. Pursuant to, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in, the Purchase Agreement, Buyer will (i) pay to Seller an amount equal to (A) $2 billion in cash, minus (B) certain accrued but unpaid debts and liabilities of Holdings (the “Upfront Consideration”) determined as of the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement (the “Closing”) and (ii) issue a promissory note to Seller at the Closing on the terms specified in the term sheet for the Seller Note, which is included as an exhibit to the Purchase Agreement (the “Seller Note”). If the Closing occurs, the Upfront Consideration is payable on a date selected by Buyer, which payment date will be no later than December 31, 2025.
The term sheet for the Seller Note provides for a $500 million payment due in equal quarterly installments on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31, 2029, subject to adjustment based on the amount of pre-closing distributions made by DIRECTV and the debt financing arrangement described in the following two paragraphs.
DIRECTV is required to pay quarterly distributions to its equity holders in the ordinary course between execution of the Purchase Agreement and the Closing. These pre-tax distributions, a portion of which are received in respect of taxable income allocated to the Company, are anticipated to be, in the aggregate, an amount of approximately $1.1 billion for the fourth quarter of 2024 and approximately $2.8 billion for 2025 (“Target Distributions”). The amount of the Seller Note will be decreased or increased by the amount by which the actual distributions made by DIRECTV in respect of any such quarter exceeds or is less than, respectively, the corresponding Target Distribution, multiplied by a tax adjustment factor specified in the term sheet for the Seller Note. Additionally, if the Closing occurs prior to the payment of any Target Distribution, then the amount of the Target Distribution, multiplied by the tax adjustment factor, will be included in the principal amount of the Seller Note.
The Purchase Agreement requires DIRECTV to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain debt financing on commercially reasonable terms sufficient to fund a distribution by DIRECTV to its equity holders in an aggregate amount equal to at least $1.625 billion as promptly as reasonably practicable but in any event on or prior to March 31, 2025,