US Justice Department gives nod to AT&T-DirecTV merger

Washington: AT&T Inc has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion, an acquisition that will combine the country`s No. 2 wireless carrier with the largest satellite-TV provider, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

"After an extensive investigation, we concluded that the combination of AT&T`s land-based Internet and video business with DirecTV`s satellite-based video business does not pose a significant risk to competition," Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Antitrust Division said in a statement.