"Disney is buying the Murdoch family’s Fox movie and television studios and some cable and international TV businesses for about $52.4 billion, as the home of Mickey Mouse tries to meet competition from technology companies in the entertainment business.
Disney’s all-stock deal for 21st Century Fox gives it the studios that produce the Avatar movies, “The Simpsons” and “Modern Family,” though Murdoch will form a new company to keep the U.S. television networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network and Fox Broadcasting. “The Simpsons” will continue to air on Murdoch’s Fox stations. The deal also brings Marvel characters such as X-Men and The Avengers under one roof — Disney’s.
Murdoch’s new company will get national rights to Major League Baseball, the NFL, NASCAR and college sports through the Fox TV network and cable networks FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network. Disney is getting Fox’s regional sports networks, including the Yes Network showing the New York Yankees.
In owning these properties, Disney will be in a better position to compete with the likes of Netflix when it launches ESPN- and Disney branded streaming services in the coming years."
