Joining Forces to Challenge Comcast?

According to an article published by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, telecom giants Verizon and Charter Communications are thinking about joining forces in order to strengthen their position in the increasingly consolidated telecom and communications sector. While no formal talks have been held at this point, Verizon’s CEO Lowell McAdam is reported to have approached Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media and board member at Charter, testing the waters for a possible combination of the two companies.

The purported merger would create a new telecom behemoth leading the competition both in terms of wireless and home broadband subscribers and narrowly trailing Comcast in the pay-TV market, according to Leichtman Research Group. Holding a strong position in all three markets would likely benefit both companies, as consumers are increasingly drawn to one-stop-shop solutions with the lines between television, broadband and wireless communication becoming increasingly blurry.