Deals and IPOs

Sprint reportedly seeks mega-media merger with Charter, but Charter's not interested: WSJ

Key Points
  • Sprint is seeking to merge with Charter Communications, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
  • Though, Bloomberg reported Friday evening that Charter isn't interested in combining with the telecom company.
  • Under Sprint's proposed merger, a new publicly traded entity that combines Sprint and Charter would be controlled by Japan's SoftBank, sources told the Journal.
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Sprint is seeking to merge with Charter Communications to create a media and communications behemoth, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the situation.

Sprint is looking to offer bundle deals to customers with cellular-phone service, TV, landline and broadband internet service, the Journal said. The proposed combination of Sprint with Charter would merge the fourth-largest U.S. wireless carrier with the second-largest U.S. cable company.

Charter and had both reportedly been talking with Sprint about various deals, with an exclusivity window closing this past week. However, Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son appears to be insisting on a splashy mega deal with Charter, the unidentified sources told the publication.

Meanhile, a separate report suggested Charter may not be interested in Sprint's overtures, one source told Bloomberg on Friday.

A representative from Sprint didn't immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Charter declined comment when asked by CNBC on Saturday.

Son is also chairman of Japan's SoftBank. And under Sprint's latest proposed merger, a new publicly traded entity that combines Sprint and Charter would be controlled by the Japanese company, according to the people who spoke with the Journal.

Meantime, Sprint had also reportedly been discussing a possible merger with its rival T-Mobile. These talks could gain legs again, along with the Sprint-Charter dialogue, the Journal reported.

Notably, Sprint is set to report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.