Business Line Between Cable And Mobile Continues To Blur

AT&T Inc. T proposed to acquire Time Warner Inc TWX, Verizon Communications Inc. VZ bought Yahoo! Inc. YHOO's internet properties and now Sprint Corp S bought a 33 percent stake in the streaming music service Tidal.

What Do All These Deals Have In Common?

Simply put, phone companies are betting big that entertainment services and platforms will be reason enough to convince cell phone users to switch providers. After all, the cell phone providers are nearly identical in terms of coverage, pricing and offerings and every business needs an edge over its competitors.

New Agreements Will Likely Continue

John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media Group LMCA, was speaking at a Lions Gate Entertainment investor event and argued that the regulatory environment under President Donald Trump will likely favor additional deals between cable and wireless providers.

Malone even suggested that the three major cable TV companies could join forces and acquire T-Mobile US Inc TMUS, which will add to the already large list of M&A deals between cable companies and cell phone providers.

Speaking as a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" segment on Tuesday, Liberty Media's CEO Greg Maffei said that wireless is an "opportunity" for cable companies and "not a threat."

Maffei also commented on the regulatory environment, noting that the new Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai is "very anti-regulation, pro-free markets" and could be seen as being "very bullish for cable."