DVDizzy Forum

Big Disney Fan wrote:Knowing Disney these days, I doubt that very highly. And that's what's got me nervous. They will further synergize everything.

willard wrote:Actually, that would be consistent with what Disney has done. The only Fox films Disney would be interested in making would be franchises like X-Men, Avatar and Planet of the Apes.

Sotiris wrote:It doesn't make sense for Disney to fold 20th Century Fox into Walt Disney Studios as Fox has a lot of valuable IP that clashes with Disney's brand. They will most likely stay under the same banner and operate somewhat independently, like Miramax once was. I do see the Marvel characters that Fox owns going back to Marvel proper but releasing possible Marvel R-rated movies under the Fox name.

In October, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger phoned Mr. Murdoch, the executive chairman of 21st Century Fox , to propose a purchase that would hive off Fox assets worth some $40 billion. Changes in the media landscape had altered Mr. Murdoch’s thinking. A deal could also clarify the family’s succession plans.

21st Century Fox is worth $60 billion in stock-market value and is a global entertainment giant spanning movies, cable television and broadcasting. Yet the Murdochs are questioning whether the company will be big enough in the years ahead to battle programming distributors such as Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Comcast Corp. , and advertising behemoths Google and Facebook Inc., people familiar with the family’s thinking say.

While talks with Disney are now advanced and could be completed as early as next week, it isn’t the only contender. Comcast is pursuing Fox assets, too, and the cable giant’s chief executive, Brian Roberts, met Mr. Murdoch at the New York Athletic Club on Monday, people familiar with the situation say.

Discussions with Disney initially sputtered but recently heated back up, people familiar with the matter say. Disney sees Fox’s assets as a way to jumpstart its own ambitions, especially in streaming video and expanding internationally. A transaction with Disney would be all in stock. It is possible that no deal will be reached.

James Murdoch has embraced—and even propelled—the idea of doing the deal, according to people familiar with his thinking. If a deal happens with Disney, James could wind up going to Disney in a senior role, setting him up as a potential candidate to succeed Mr. Iger, who has said he plans to retire in 2019, people close to the deal talks say. Mr. Murdoch would be up against other succession contenders with long Disney tenures. Disney hasn’t promised any job to James Murdoch.

At a meeting of senior Fox managers and top executives in late November, Mr. Murdoch said a transaction might or might not happen, according to a person familiar with the meeting. An attendee asked: “If nothing were going to happen, when would that be?” “December,” Mr. Murdoch responded.

People close to the Murdoch family say there is excitement about the prospects of a tie-up. For example, Disney is “a machine of extracting value from franchises,” says someone close to the family. “ I think the value of Fox would be astronomically bigger.”

Sotiris wrote:It's not a done deal yet. Comcast is still in pursuit. If the deal with Disney does go though, there's a good chance James Murdoch will become Disney's next CEO.

In what would be one of the most cataclysmic shakeups to ever happen to a traditional media company, 21st Century Fox is on the brink of selling the bulk of its assets — worth some $68 billion — to Disney. The Murdochs would take the remaining assets — Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News and sports cable networks FS1 and FS2 — and form a smaller TV company. Negotiations have progressed, with a deal expected to be announced as early as next Wednesday. It would then take about a year from when the deal closes and regulatory approval is granted, and an acquiring company is legally prohibited in managing the pending acquisition, even though speculation is already rampant about which executives will stay and go.

Mickeyfan1990 wrote:Incidentally, if James becomes the new Disney president, the tables will turn.

A deal in the works that could have The Walt Disney Co. purchasing up to $60 billion worth of 21st Century Fox’s assets would make Rupert Murdoch and his sons major Disney shareholders with outsize power over important decisions, including who would succeed current CEO Robert Iger, insiders and observers speculated on Wednesday. The deal under discussion involves cash and Disney stock that would flow to Fox shareholders, and it could make the Murdochs Disney’s largest individual shareholders. Analysts speculate that Disney would add both James and Lachlan Murdoch, Fox’s CEO and co-executive chairman, respectively, and possibly also add Rupert, who has the co-executive chairman title at Fox.

Insiders say that the Murdochs are jockeying behind the scenes for as much power as they possibly can extract from Disney. The Murdochs would be minority shareholders at Disney, of course, though they are negotiating for certain veto and approval powers over big decisions, which could include the naming of a CEO when Iger retires.

The Disney-Fox negotiations over power are commonplace, says Larry Hutcher, a corporate governance specialist with the Davidoff Hutcher & Citron law firm. “They’ll likely want assurance that their minority voices will be heard on issues involving hiring, the sale of assets and large expenditures,” he says. “They’ll want to ensure key rights even if the board is expanded. They may have a checklist.”

Also needing to be hammered out is something new in Hollywood transactions: specific indemnity for sexual harassment claims, involving executives and talent alike, that could materialize after a merger is closed. “What every buyer worries about is the unknown,” says Hutcher. “Lawsuits can go up the chain to the board of directors, which is what is happening with The Weinstein Co.”

willard wrote:This article speculates on what Disney will do with its new assets. I hope they do end up selling Blue Sky. That don't need three animation studios.

http://deadline.com/2017/12/what-happen ... 202220975/

Kyle wrote:I just hope blue sky is still allowed to operate, and they don't just close them or anything. They are a talented bunch.

Big Disney Fan wrote:

Mickeyfan1990 wrote:Incidentally, if James becomes the new Disney president, the tables will turn.

Indeed, which company is buying which here?

unprincess wrote:Some have even speculated that they may remove the Disney name from the whole corporation and only use the name as a franchise tag for all the stuff that fits into the g/pg rated bracket that isnt already its own sustainable franchise. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that happens.