John Malone Says Time Warner Cable Deal Still Makes Sense

Billionaire John Malone, the cable-industry pioneer and largest investor in Charter Communications, is still aiming to convince Time Warner Cable that teaming up is in both companies’ best interests.

Consolidation makes sense because cable operators need to stay competitive with satellite-TV companies, Malone said. So far, efforts to persuade Time Warner Cable to join forces with Charter have proved fruitless, according to people familiar with the discussions. US cable companies need to get bigger to improve their negotiating power with programmers such as Walt Disney and CBS, Malone said. CBS was blacked out on Time Warner Cable for a month between August and September because of a battle over content fees.