After weeks of reports and speculation, Disney and 21st Century Fox have confirmed that the former is acquiring the film and television assets of Fox in a culture-shifting move.
The deal, which includes The Walt Disney Company purchase of Fox’s assets for $52.4 billion in stock, will allow for the company to add some of pop culture’s most beloved IPs into their growing portfolio.
Here are some highlights of the Disney/Fox deal:
- Properties like X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avatar, The Simpsons, FX Networks and National Geographic will join Disney.
- Disney has controlling interest in Hulu’s streaming service.
- 21st Century Fox will separate the Fox Broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network into a newly listed company that will be spun off to its shareholders.
- Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger, will remain in that position through 2021.
“The acquisition of this stellar collection of businesses from 21st Century Fox reflects the increasing consumer demand for a rich diversity of entertainment experiences that are more compelling, accessible and convenient than ever before,” said Robert A. Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company on the company’s official site. “We’re honored and grateful that Rupert Murdoch has entrusted us with the future of businesses he spent a lifetime building, and we’re excited about this extraordinary opportunity to significantly increase our portfolio of well-loved franchises and branded content to greatly enhance our growing direct-to-consumer offerings. The deal will also substantially expand our international reach, allowing us to offer world-class storytelling and innovative distribution platforms to more consumers in key markets around the world.”
The official Disney press release also mentions what the reunion of Marvel and the X-Men could mean for fans.
Here’s an excerpt from the official Disney site:
“The agreement also provides Disney with the opportunity to reunite the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool with the Marvel family under one roof and create richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love.”
What all of this means for the immediate future is still unclear but fans should expect more news as we get into 2018.
So what do you think of the Disney acquisition from Fox? Do you want to see the X-Men in the MCU? Let us know in the comments section below.
