With reports that DirecTV CEO Chase Carey is in negotiations to move to News Corp., one analyst said it could be the first step for a sale of the satellite-TV company, possibly to AT&T, Multichannel News reports.

Collins Stewart cable and satellite analyst Tom Eagen said in a research report Monday that with Carey’s departure, the company’s board may be more receptive to a sale, the trade paper writes.

"Mr. Carey has fulfilled the most pressing corporate DirecTV imperatives: turn-around DirecTV; negotiate the [Liberty Entertainment] merger; and renew the NFL agreement," Eagen said in his report, the publication notes.

—Aimee Picchi