Disney Buys Fox

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willard
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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.
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.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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.
That's my point, though: we know that it will clash with the Disney brand, but I don't think the powers that be at Disney know or even care. My biggest concern is that they will be shoehorned into the parks, as Star Wars is.

And aren't shows like "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" franchises, too? And Miramax isn't with Disney anymore, either.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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. :shock:
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.”
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/behind-the ... 2?mod=e2tw
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willard
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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C'mon, we all know Disney is buying Fox. Lets not kid ourselves.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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. :shock:
Oh, yay, we almost get rid of Iger and Lasseter only to end up with someone even worse. How wonderful.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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Beyond The Simpsons: What Animation Assets Disney Will Own by Acquiring Fox
http://www.animationscoop.com/beyond-th ... iring-fox/
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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Couple of things wrong there; The Fox Kids original are already owned by Disney via the selling of Fox Kids Worldwide by News Corp and Fire and Ice is no longer owned by Fox.


Incidentally, if James becomes the new Disney president, the tables will turn. :P
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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The deal is expected to be announced by next Wednesday.
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.
Source: http://deadline.com/2017/12/what-happen ... 202220975/
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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Mickeyfan1990 wrote:Incidentally, if James becomes the new Disney president, the tables will turn. :P
Indeed, which company is buying which here?
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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The Murdochs will exert plenty of power and influence over Disney if the acquisition goes through.
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.”
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... ey-1065170
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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/
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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I just hope blue sky is still allowed to operate, and they don't just close them or anything. They are a talented bunch.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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/
But who else would take them, though?
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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If Disney Buys Fox: The Pros and Cons of the Potential Acquisition
http://www.slashfilm.com/disney-buys-fox-pros-and-cons/
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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.
Ditto. They're a valuable asset whose films have never lost money and honestly, Disney could corner the animation market by also having Blue Sky as an east coast division. Plus, their films would be a huge get for their upcoming streaming service. Disney releases an average of two or three animated films, so it's not hard to have Blue Sky on the schedule without interfering with the Pixar and WDAS productions.

Blue Sky's next film after "Ferdinand" is "Spies in Disguise", opening on January 18, 2019. That's a safe distance away from Wreck-It Ralph 2 (opening on November 2018) and the outer space Planes spin-off (opening on April 2019).

Ironically, while Pixar and WDAS's upcoming schedule seems to have a focus on sequels right now, Blue Sky doesn't have any sequels on the docket at the moment.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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Disney, Fox Huddle With Bankers as Deal Talks Progress
http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/disney ... 202634210/
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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I too hope they would keep Blue Sky. I generally find their stories to be told well and the quality of their animation to be well done also. Sure the Ice Age franchise has been milked to death but nearly any property is going to feel that tired that many movies into it (cough cough Toy Story 4 cough cough).

I personally loved Rio. I thought Epic was a good film and I even enjoyed Robots. I liked the first two Ice Age movies until I felt like it was Land Before Time 23 territory. BThe only one I didn’t care for was the Peanuts. I found that story dull and the style offputting, though it was unique.
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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Big Disney Fan wrote:
Mickeyfan1990 wrote:Incidentally, if James becomes the new Disney president, the tables will turn. :P
Indeed, which company is buying which here?
see this I don't like. I'm worried that if its the Murdochs that actually take over, Disney will finally loose whats left of its identity. They already have risked that very thing with the purchase of Star Wars and Marvel and ignoring much of their pre-2000's history(except the animated films and a few live action films) What do the Murdochs care about something like Disney history? They don't and they really wouldn't have to anymore. Now they are going to have even more franchises that don't really slide in easily with the rest of Disney's identity. Avatar kinda works b/c it was basically Pocahontas in space and they already have the land at AK. X-men/F4 has a place in their Marvel franchise and well the first Star War film is obvious. But the rest? Simpsons/Family guy? Aliens franchise? Blue Sky?

My fear is that they will slowly eventually erode the Disney identity, especially the older stuff as it starts to feel more outdated to audiences (they are already somewhat doing that with the live action remakes of their animated classics, but with Murdoch in charge it will get even worse.) Remember that Disney is a company that only invests in the biggest most profitable money makers, the rest gets buried in "vaults" and lost to obscurity. There will come a time when they'll feel anything Disney that isn't contemporary and cant be "remade" to appeal to modern audiences is not worth it and will bury it. Why waste time and money on stuff like Ohmydisney, d23, disneymovierewards.com, disneymoviesanywhere(we are already losing the last two.) Why bother catering to classic Disney fans at all when the company will have all these other "cooler" franchises that may end up being more lucrative and easier to revive in the future.

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. :(
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Re: Disney in Talks to Buy Fox

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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. :(
My pick for their new name would be WESAYSO.

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