From Awful Announcing:

Now that they've acquired Turner, it looks like they may be trying to expand their offerings by going after the Chicago Cubs. I think that might just be the beginning.

Quote:But some believe that AT&T’s deep pockets will make the new company even more of a player in rights negotiations. The size of the new AT&T would give it an advantage over traditional media companies. Imagine a company that could pick up rights covering linear TV, digital, over-the-top, mobile and pay-per-view all in one bid.

“I’d expect them to be more competitive than Time Warner was in pursuing the NFL in prime time and, maybe, a college football package,” said Michael Nathanson, a senior research analyst for MoffettNathanson.

Technically, ESPN could essentially offer the same type of package. They can do all that except PPV although AT&T has a head start perhaps on the tech side.

Nonetheless, AT&T could also be an interesting suitor for college leagues.

To be honest, if I was leading the SEC then I would consider very carefully what Turner could do for me.

1. It's a much broader platform to draw from rather than what a single broadcast network has in its quiver. The only real advantage of being with CBS is that they can help promote your games during their NFL time slots and to some degree during their other scripted broadcasts. The only other packages they possess are a few golf tournaments and very limited content for CBS Sports Network. If Turner can land an NFL package in the not too distant future then any advantage is essentially eliminated. Turner has tons of popular channels so the cross promotion abilities would be greater when you consider all the other sports Turner would have in its package.

2. Being in league with AT&T as well gives you advantages on the distribution side. The only other company that competes in that respect is Comcast/NBC.