Huge charge stings TW

January 07, 2009 Time Warner expects to take an impairment charge of about $25 billion in the 2008 fourth quarter to write down the reduced value of its cable, AOL and magazine unit assets, the entertainment conglomerate said Wednesday. "The economic environment has proved somewhat more challenging than the company previously expected, particularly for the advertising businesses at the AOL and publishing segments," the company said. "The advertising markets remain very challenged with limited visibility into 2009," Bernstein Research analyst Michael Nathanson said.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.