The US Department of Justice has lost its appeal against court approval of AT&T's takeover of Time Warner. The department had argued the merger would harm consumers, but the court sided with the companies. AT&T said the deal closed six months ago had already "yielded significant consumer benefits" and it looks forward to putting the litigation behind it.
The Justice Department said it does not plan a further appeal of the case. Its main argument against the merger was the possible negative impact on the pay-TV market, where AT&T could restrict access to Time Warner's channels and content for its own benefit and drive up prices.
