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Dish Network is looking to pick up T-Mobile if the Sprint merger fails

Published May 9th, 2014 8:30PM EDT
Dish Network T-Mobile Acquisition

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Although Dish Network is not interested in entering an bidding war for potential suitors, the satellite television company is primed and ready to snag T-Mobile if the Sprint merger falls apart this summer. Bloomberg reports that Dish has been eyeing both DirecTV and T-Mobile in recent months, but as DirecTV shares have risen amid talk of an AT&T acquisition, the rival provider has become too expensive to chase.

“We don’t have the kind of money to go outbid Sprint for T-Mobile or outbid AT&T for DirecTV,” said Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen. “So we have to be well positioned so no matter what happens it’s all good for us, and I think we’re there.” 

Ergen recommends that his board wait and let the chips fall as they may.

“I wasn’t a very good poker player,” he explained. “But when a bunch of drunken fools were throwing money around occasionally I was able to pick up the pot at the end of the day.”

Last April, Ergen reportedly “informally approached” T-Mobile in regards to a merger. Partnering with a mobile company would allow the satellite provider to package wireless service with its subscription plans. Over a year later, Ergen still claims that T-Mobile “would have strategic interest” to Dish if regulators shut down the Sprint merger.

“The movie always has a twist,” Ergen said. “It never happens the way you think, and even the way I think things are going to happen isn’t the way it’s going to happen.”

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.