AT&T, U.S. WILL BATTLE IN COURT OVER TIME WARNER

YORK» AT&T will square off NEW

Monday against the federal government in a trial that could shape how you get — and how much you pay for — streaming TV and movies.

AT&T says it needs to gobble up Time Warner if it’s to have a chance against the likes of Amazon, Netflix and Google in the rapidly evolving world of video entertainment.

The Justice Department’s antitrust lawyers say that if AT&T and Time Warner are allowed to combine, consumers will end up paying more to watch their favorite shows, whether on a TV screen, smartphone or tablet.

“On one hand, the government is saying this is the old world and AT&T Time Warner is saying this is the new world,” said Larry Downes, senior industry and innovation fellow at Georgetown University. “They’re arguing completely different views of how the content industries look right now, let alone in the future.”

In October 2016, AT&T offered to buy Time Warner for $86 billion. Dallas-based AT&T Inc. provides wireless, broadband and DirecTV satellite services via phone and TV. New York-headquartered Time Warner owns the HBO, TNT, TBS and CNN networks and sports programing including Major League Baseball’s playoffs and the NCAA’s March Madness men’s basketball tournament.

The government sued to block the deal this past November. If the judge blocks the deal, a chill over media deal-making is likely.