The “Empire” is growing for the mega entertainment company, Walt Disney Company, as it was just announced that it will be acquiring 21st Century Fox Inc. for $52.4 Billion! The deal also includes 20th Century Fox film and television studios.
“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,” Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger.
The purchase also helps to strengthen the Disney Company’s plan for a powerful streaming service such as Netflix. “The more desirable content they have, the better they will be able to compete in terms of trying to sell a subscription offering at a time there’s so much competition for subscription-based services,” said analyst Paul Verna. The Disney streaming service is rumored to start in 2019 which will see all Disney titles removed from there soon to be competitor, Neflix.
The purchase will also bring Disney ownership of the Alien franchise, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and in an interesting turn, Avatar.
I am very excited to see what creative moves Disney will make with their new properties! I know some may say that Disney will have too much control over several franchises and that this could hurt the quality of the product. All I know is this. If not for the purchase of Marvel by Disney, we wouldn’t have the incredible “Marvel Universe” that we have today on the big screen. Some have even said that the purchase of Lucasfilm by Disney helped bring life back into the Star Wars franchise? Maybe.
Disney has, in my opinion, an incredible track record for creating and producing some of the best film and tv experiences in the world – and I look forward in things to come.
What do you think of the purchase by The Walt Disney Company? Is this great for the future of all the films and entertainment we love at the helm of Disney? Is it a bad thing? Do you care at all? Let us know in the comments.
