Comcast intends to acquire Time Warner Cable in a deal worth $45 billion, combining the biggest cable companies in the nation, several media outlets are reporting Wednesday night.
An announcement is expected Thursday in a deal that has Comcast paying $158.82 per share of Time Warner Cable stock, money.cnn.com and other media outlets are reporting, attributing the information to people with direct knowledge of the transaction.
Those people asked to remain anonymous because the deal won't be announced publicly until Thursday.
The two companies expect the merger to receive government approval and take effect by the end of the year, but regulators are likely to take a close look at the potential impact on consumers.
Time Warner is the country's second biggest supplier of cable television service, with about 12 million subscribers in markets that include New York City, Los Angeles Dayton and southwest Ohio.
