The companies argued that these acts were part of an international operation, so they determined that it was not necessary to inform the competent Mexican authority of the concentration of these assets related to the content and telecommunications sector.

The Federal Telecommunications Institute of Mexico (IFT) imposed a global fine of 46 million 185,600 pesos (US$ 2.5 million) on the companies AT&T and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) for failing to notify a concentration of assets that It took place between 2021 and 2022, in accordance with various articles of the Federal Economic Competition Law (LFCE).

The context of this story began when WBD acquired the Warner Media segment, then owned by AT&T, but excluding that entity's Mexican business. AT&T subsequently acquired 71% of WBD's shares.

The companies argued that these acts were part of an international operation, so they determined that it was not necessary to inform the competent Mexican authority of the concentration of these assets related to the content and telecommunications sector, although both also do business in the national territory.

The IFT, the entity empowered to review competition issues in telecommunications and broadcasting, resolved that the operation would have repercussions in Mexico, especially in risks to economic competition due to the possibility of generating barriers, since it was presumed that WBD could become into an actor with substantial power in its business niche, according to its Economic Competition Unit and its Investigative Authority.

The authority will disclose in the coming days the arguments that demolished the companies' arguments regarding this omission of the notification of concentration of assets, but while it has decided to impose a penalty of 23 million 92,800 pesos (US$ 1.2 million) for each one of the companies, in the case of AT&T, it is equivalent to two days of its operation in Mexico.