Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox means that the House of Mouse now controls a huge amount of our most beloved films and television series.
Announced in December 2017 and expected to take until at least 2021 to complete, this $66.1bn deal (that included taking on a sizeable debt portfolio from Fox) ranks amongst the largest mergers of its kind in history. These sorts of figures are barely conceivable to all but the worlds billionaires. While the actual number is fairly straightforward, that amount of money can barely be imagined – especially spending that level of money.
We’ve compared these media giants, looked at the potential impact of the deal on both their own employees and the end user and demonstrated how Disney is looking to leverage this deal to break into new markets.
What did Disney Actually Buy?
Disney acquired the 21st Century Fox Company on March 20th 2019. It was one of the most complex, and certainly one of the costliest ever acquisitions between media companies.
In fact, the acquisition was so complex that full details of exactly what Disney acquired never actually came out.
At the time of the acquisition, Disney were the largest media company in the world and under the leadership of CEO Bob Iger, had 21st Century Fox firmly in their crosshares.
Iger had adopted a similar approach with previous acquisitions, including the purchase of Pixar in 2006 (who doesn’t love Pixar), which cost over $7 billion. They also purchased Marvel in 2009 for over $4 billion and LucasFilm in 2012 for over $4 billion!
How Netflix Influenced The Move
While Disney were an absolute powerhouse of the industry, Netflix had entered the market and changed the game.
Their approach of bringing content direct to consumers and skipping the box office really shook up the established order.
The acquisition of Disney and Fox was largely believed to be a response to the Netflix threat.
Read on to see how the merger will affect everything from television and the cinema box office to streaming platforms and sports broadcasting with our comprehensive infographic below.
About the author
Gary has over 15 years’ experience in financial services and specialises in bridging loans, commercial mortgages, development finance and business loans. He is widely respected in his field and regularly provides expert commentary for specialist trade publications, specialist business publications as well as local and national press.
