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EU approves Disney's purchase of Fox assets, with conditions
Disney's acquisition of Fox studios and TV channels is one step closer to becoming a practical reality. The European Commission has approved the mega-deal under the condition that Disney has to divest its stake in "factual channels" it controls in the European Economic Area, including History, Crime & Investigation and Lifetime. The buyout would have eliminated competition between two rivals in several countries, the Commission said.
'Ant-Man and The Wasp' will be the last Marvel movie to hit Netflix
Sometime after Ant-Man and the Wasp finishes its theatrical run, it will stream on Netflix. But that's the last Marvel Studios movie that will appear on the service, the New York Times reports. Starting with Captain Marvel, all Disney movies will land on the Mouse House's upcoming streaming platform instead. So, Marvel fans will have to head to theaters find out the resolution to that Avengers: Infinity War cliffhanger, or catch the fourth Avengers movie on home video or Disney's own streaming platform.
Disney and Fox's $71.3 billion merger gets shareholder approval
Now that Comcast has withdrawn from the bidding war, Disney is free to proceed with acquiring most of 21st Century Fox's assets. Shareholders for both companies just approved a $71.3 billion buyout, a larger figure than either of the suitor companies' earlier offers. They must still divest 22 regional sports networks per the Justice Department's demands, but should everything go smoothly, the merger is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019.
CBS and Viacom are reportedly exploring a massive media merger
The heads of Viacom and CBS have discussed the prospect of merger, according to Reuters sources. Earlier this month, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves reportedly had an exploratory talk about a potential merger and both companies' boards have scheduled a number of meetings to continue that discussion over the next few weeks.
Murdoch's Sky takeover blocked by UK competition watchdog
Rupert Murdoch has been blocked by the UK's competition watchdog from completing a full buyout of Sky. The media tycoon, which already owns 21st Century Fox and a range of newspapers including The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun, launched a £11.7 billion ($14.6 billion) takeover bid in December 2016. If successful, it would give the Murdoch family full control of Sky News, as well as the company's extensive TV, internet and phone businesses in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rejected the idea, however, due to "media plurality" concerns, or how much power the resulting company would have over public opinion.
Redbox says Disney lawsuit is a baseless attempt to stamp out rivals
Last month, Disney filed a lawsuit against Redbox claiming that the rental company was violating Disney's copyrights. Redbox buys the Disney discs it rents at retail and when those discs come with download codes for digital copies, Redbox sells them to its customers. But Disney says that's against its terms of sale and requested an injunction, any profits Redbox made from those sales and $150,000 per copyright infringement. Redbox has now clapped back, Variety reports, filing an opposition to Disney's complaint and injunction request.
Disney could soon own Sky
Today, Disney announced its intention to buy 21st Century Fox for $52 billion. It's a colossal deal that gives the House of Mouse control over the X-Men, a number of TV channels and a majority stake in Hulu. For Brits, the acquisition has another implication: Disney could soon own Sky. That's because 21st Century Fox is trying to buy the TV provider for roughly £18.5 billion at the moment. The deal is in limbo, however, as the UK's Culture Secretary Karen Bradley mulls its potential impact on the media industry. Back in September, she referred the case to the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is expected to give a report in mid-2018.
Disney buys Fox's studios and cable TV channels for $52 billion
After weeks of rumors, the deal is done -- Disney will buy up large chunks of Rupert Murdoch's Fox media empire for $52 billion. The list of what it won't take is shorter: the Fox News cable channel, broadcast networks and Fox Sports, which are expected to spin off as their own business. The Disney conglomerate adds the Fox movie and TV studios (including big-name franchises like X-Men, Avatar, Alien and The Simpsons), majority control of Hulu, FX cable networks and $13.7 billion in debt. On top of that, Fox is attempting to acquire the parts of UK's Sky that it doesn't already own, and if that's successful then Disney will get it too.
Comcast is also interested in buying most of Fox's assets
It's not just Disney interested in snapping up a large chunk of 21st Century Fox. Wall Street Journal tipsters claim not just that Disney has resumed "active talks" to buy most of Fox's movie and TV assets, but that Comcast has entered discussions as well. Apparently, the initial leak of Disney-Fox negotiations prompted a frenzy of interest. Sony and Verizon have reportedly shown interest at the same time, but it's not certain that they're as deeply involved as Comcast and Disney.
Comcast, Verizon, and Sony are also after Fox's film and TV units
Talk of Disney eyeing Fox's assets has ignited the interest of more media juggernauts. The new batch of contenders includes Comcast, Verizon, and Sony's entertainment arm, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Europe clears 21st Century Fox's purchase of Sky
21st Century Fox's £11.7 billion acquisition of Sky has edged a little closer to being a done deal today, as the European Commission approved the merger. The commission was assessing any potential competition concerns that might arise from the marriage of huge media company and pay-TV provider. It concluded that as the two firms "are mainly active at different levels of the market," the acquisition wouldn't have any significant impact on competition. It wouldn't be good business for Fox to withhold its films from Sky's competitors, for example, or for Sky to worsen its platform by carrying Fox's content exclusively -- not to mention regulations and existing contracts in countries where Sky operates prevent that kind of thing from happening anyway.
Ofcom to investigate Sky and 21st Century Fox merger
The UK's media regulator will investigate a proposed merger worth £11.7 billion ($14.6 billion) between 21st Century Fox and Sky. Speaking in the House of Commons, Karen Bradley, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said she had referred the matter because of "public interest considerations" which "warrant further investigation." These include media plurality -- the need for citizens to have access to a variety of independent news sources -- and a "commitment to broadcasting standards." Ofcom has 40 days to investigate and deliver its report, which will undoubtedly shape Bradley's decision to approve or block the deal.
21st Century Fox is buying UK's Sky in $14.6 billion deal
Following talks last week, 21st Century Fox has agreed to buy Sky, the UK's largest pay-TV network, for £11.7 billion ($14.6 billion). The UK-based pay-TV broadcaster and broadband provider counts nearly 22 million subscribers in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria. That'll give Rupert Murdoch a delivery platform for his 20th Century Fox movie studio and Fox TV network, along with cable TV channels like FX, Fox Sports and National Geographic.
Sky receives takeover bid from 21st Century Fox
21st Century Fox is in advanced talks to buy Sky, a major telecoms player and the biggest pay-TV provider in the UK. Negotiations are underway and the directors of both companies have reached an "agreement" of £10.75 per share. As Bloomberg reports, the deal values Sky at £18.5 billion ($23.2 billion). Fox already owns 39 percent of Sky, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch has tried to buy the remaining slice before. A takeover in 2010 was eventually abandoned, however, after News Corporation (now known as 21st Century Fox) was embroiled in a huge phone hacking scandal.
Rupert Murdoch's exit as Fox CEO hints at a bigger digital future
There's a big executive shakeup looming that could change the digital media landscape in the long run. Both CNBC and the Wall Street Journal report that Rupert Murdoch is planning to step down from the CEO role at 21st Century Fox, with his son James taking the reins. The media mogul will still hang around as an executive chairman (along with his other son Lachlan), like he does at News Corp, but he won't be so closely involved in day-to-day affairs. The handover would take place no later than 2016.
Hulu off the market: Fox, Disney and NBC to maintain ownership
Well, we've been waiting to hear who would wind up purchasing the struggling Hulu, and now we know -- nobody! Instead the service will see an infusion of cash totaling $750 million from its current owners. Hulu has actively courted new owners on multiple occasions, and it seemed as if this time a deal was imminent. Both Yahoo and DirecTV were in the running allegedly but, for whatever reason, Fox, NBC and Disney found their offers lacking. It's unclear right now whether the issue was over asking price or future plans for the service, but the cabal behind Hulu will instead sink more money into the property to try and grow its subscriber base further. This is turning into something of a habit for the uneasy partnership, one that is quickly turning Hulu into the boy who cried wolf. The official press release awaits, after the break.
