IAC chairman Barry Diller talks to the press. Photo: AJ Vandermeyden / AP
Media mogul Barry Diller said Monday at a conference held by the Internet Association that he hopes the Justice Department challenges AT&T's proposed Time Warner purchase in court, so that it might dissuade the government from fighting such deals in the future. But he also said he ultimately expects the $85 billion deal to be approved, potentially with minor conditions.
"It's almost impossible that I could see, on a legal basis, for them to lose."
The bigger picture: The Justice Department is pushing AT&T to sell some key assets — like the Turner unit that contains CNN or DirecTV — in order to get the deal approved, but it looks like AT&T isn't interested in doing either. Here's why this situation is complicated.