Disney raised its bid for Twenty-First Century Fox on Wednesday. The new bid outweighs Comcast’s offer of $65 billion.
How the Deal Would Affect Shareholders
Disney is offering cash and stock. Comcast is offering all cash. With a stock deal, current Fox shareholders wouldn’t have to pay taxes on their capital gains. The current largest shareholder of Fox, Rupert Murdoch, would pay significantly under Comcast’s deal. He owns 17 percent of the company.
News of the increased bid caused Fox shares to increase by more than 7 percent. If Disney buys Fox, Fox shareholders will own 19 percent of the new combined company. That places investors who hold shares in both companies in a unique position to increase their ownership of Disney.
Disney would also inherit $13.8 billion of debt from Fox, alleviating Fox shareholders from that risk.
What’s In It for Disney?
Disney is looking to compete with streaming services Netflix and Amazon Video. The deal would allow them to add the X-Men and the Simpsons to their portfolio. They could then continue producing for both series, and more. Doing so would provide them with more material for the box office, ad-sponsored television, and paid streaming service.
