10 Things Disney Could Do Now They Own Fox
The House That Walt Built is all out of Fox to give.
After months of negotiations, and a last-minute rival bid by Comcast, the deal for Disney to acquire 20th Century Fox has finally been approved, in what is the biggest takeover deal the entertainment industry has seen in years.
One of the 'Big Six' Hollywood studios alongside Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal and Columbia, Fox has been around in its current guise since 1935 and boasts a long history of classic movies. While selling out to one of your main competitors is usually a major no-no, everybody has a price. Turns out that Fox's was an eye-watering $65bn.
In spending that kind of money, Disney must have some pretty big ideas in store for the company. The Mouse House have not only strengthened their position as they attempt to establish utter dominance over the entertainment industry, but have given themselves a wealth of business opportunities that could potentially generate countless billions of dollars in both the short and long term.
Mickey isn't sending Fox the way of Old Yeller just yet, but this takeover will no doubt have huge repercussions on the movie industry for decades to come, however Disney decides to handle things. It seems hard to believe that they'll simply strip the company down to its bare bones and leave it to wither and die, but who really knows what goes on behind closed doors in the Magic Kingdom.
10. Absorb Hulu Into Their Own Streaming Service
There are a lot of people that grudge paying for two separate streaming services, but the all-powerful House of Mouse seem to have no issues in owning two, which is hardly surprising given their relentless quest for market domination.
Disney already owned 30% of Hulu prior to their acquisition of 20th Century Fox, which has since seen them double their stake to become majority owners. With over 20 million subscribers and the likes of The Handmaid's Tale, The Path and Future Man all produced in-house, Hulu is undoubtedly one of the 'Big Three' services alongside Netflix and Amazon with a huge amount of content available.
Meanwhile, Disney have announced plans to create their own streaming platform, utilizing the vast array of Disney-owned content they have at their disposal. So will they ignore the risks in launching such a service from the ground up at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars and simply absorb Hulu into their own plans?
Probably not. Why? Money, obviously.
The most likely outcome is that Disney will split their assets down the middle. The studio's animated classics (and their live-action remakes), Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and all other family-friendly content is likely headed to their in-house platform, while Hulu will probably retain its biggest titles and possibly end up with the majority of Fox-owned movies picked up in the merger.
Good news for Disney shareholders, bad news for those that will end up having to fork out for yet another over-the-top streaming service to watch their favorite movies and TV shows.