Dish Network says T-Mobile would be a 'strategic interest' if Sprint merger fails

Dish Network is unlikely to enter a bidding war for either T-Mobile or DirecTV, according to Bloomberg. "We don’t have the kind of money to go outbid Sprint for T-Mobile or outbid AT&T for DirecTV, " chairman Charlie Ergen reportedly said during a recent conference call. While DirecTV was described as "too frothy" for its price, Ergen did remark that T-Mobile would be of "strategic interest" should its rumored merger attempt with Sprint fall through.

T-Mobile would be of "strategic interest"

"I wasn’t a very good poker player but when a bunch of drunken fools were throwing money around occasionally I was able to pick up the pot at the end of the day," Ergen said.

This isn't the first time the satellite TV provider expressed interest in T-Mobile. In 2011, CEO Joseph Clayton said the company was open to partnering with T-Mobile if AT&T's pursuits failed. AT&T eventually called off the acquisition attempt after the FCC requested a formal administrative hearing following the United States Department of Justice's move to block the merger. Dish Network had also previously attempted a $25.5 billion takeover bid for Sprint only to withdraw in order to focus on acquiring Clearwire Corporation instead. The company ultimately failed at purchasing Clearwire as well, losing it to Sprint.