Verizon Wants To Keep AOL Assets Together, Not Interested In Buying Dish: Report

(RTTNews) - Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) has no desire to sell the Huffington Post or buy Dish Network Corp. (DISH), the Wall Street Journal quoted Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo as saying at a Wall Street Journal conference.

Verizon agreed last month to buy AOL Inc. (AOL), which owns several media properties including the Huffington Post and TechCrunch, for $4.4 billion.

According to the report, Verizon said its main interest in the deal was AOL's digital advertising technology, which it plans to incorporate into a mobile-first video service launching later this year. But Shammo said Verizon likes all of AOL's portfolio and wants to keep it together.

Shammo also reportedly said the company has no interest in acquiring Dish Network Corp. Dish is currently in talks to merge with T-Mobile US Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

Some observers have speculated Verizon might swoop in and try to buy Dish to get hold of the satellite broadcaster's huge stores of wireless spectrum. But Shammo reportedly said if Verizon wanted more spectrum, it could have bought it at a recent government auction.