Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 23 July 2018

Disney streaming could get boost as Comcast drops Fox bid

By MAE ANDERSON toward integrating our busi-
AP Technology Writer nesses," he said in a state-
NEW YORK (AP) — Com- ment.
cast is dropping its bid for GBH Insights analyst Dan-
Fox's entertainment busi- iel Ives called Comcast's
nesses, paving the way for move "the final chapter in
Disney to boost its upcom- this soap opera." He said
ing streaming service by Comcast's focus now is
buying the studios behind on getting Sky "to build a
"The Simpsons" and X-Men. strong beachhead content
Getting Fox would help the strategy in Europe."
House of Mouse compete Sky operates in Austria, Ger-
with technology compa- many, Ireland, Italy and the
nies such as Amazon and U.K. It has 22.5 million cus-
Netflix for viewers' attention tomers, attracted by offer-
— and dollars. ings such as English Premier
Disney needs compelling League soccer and "Game
TV shows and movies to of Thrones."
persuade viewers to sign Fox has been trying to buy
up and pay for yet an- the 61 percent of Sky it
other streaming service. It doesn't already own. The
already has classic Disney idea was to sell Sky to Dis-
cartoons, "Star Wars," Pixar, ney as part of the broader
the Muppets and some of deal. Last week, Comcast
the Marvel characters. With made a bid that values Sky
Fox, Disney could add Mar- at $34 billion, compared
vel's X-Men and Deadpool, with $32.5 billion in Fox's of-
along with programs shown fer.
on such Fox channels as Disney said in a regulatory
FX Networks and National This June 14, 2018, file photo shows the 21st Century Fox logo outside its New York office. filing last week that Fox
Geographic. Fox's pro- Associated Press might not raise its bid to
ductions also include "The compete with Comcast's
Americans," ''This Is Us" and panies have been buy- X-Men and the Avengers long as Disney, which owns offer, meaning Comcast
"Modern Family." ing the companies that to reunite in future movies. the national sports network is likely to end up with Sky
The deal would help Disney make TV shows and movies Though Disney owns Marvel ESPN, sells Fox's 22 region- and Disney the rest of Fox
further control TV shows to compete in a chang- Studios, some characters al sports networks. Disney that's up for sale. That in-
and movies from start to ing media landscape. Al- including the X-Men had may still need regulatory cludes other international
finish — from creating the though internet providers already been licensed to approvals outside the U.S. properties, including the
programs to distributing like AT&T and Comcast Fox. Disney CEO Bob Iger said Star India satellite service.
them though television directly control their cus- Disney would also get a he was "extremely pleased" Some Fox businesses, in-
channels, movie theaters, tomers' access to the inter- controlling stake in the ex- with Comcast's announce- cluding Fox News Channel
streaming services and oth- net in a way that Amazon, isting streaming service ment. and the Fox television net-
er ways people watch en- YouTube and Netflix do Hulu. "Our focus now is on com- work, will remain with me-
tertainment. Disney would not, they still face threats Separately, Disney said it pleting the regulatory pro- dia mogul Rupert Murdoch
get valuable data on cus- as those streaming services will release new episodes cess and ultimately moving and his family.q
tomers and their entertain- gain in popularity. of the "Star Wars" animated
ment-viewing habits, which AT&T bought Time Warner series "The Clone Wars" on
it can then use to sell ad- last month for $81 billion its upcoming streaming ser-
vertising. and has already launched vice.
For Comcast, dropping the its own streaming service, The original "Clone Wars"
pursuit of Fox lets it focus Watch TV, with Time War- series ran for six seasons,
on getting European pay- ner channels such as TBS with the final one as a Netf-
TV operator Sky, a deal and TNT, among other net- lix exclusive.
that would help the Phila- works, for $15 a month. Comcast said Thursday
delphia-based cable and Expect something similar that it would not raise its
media company expand from Disney after the deal $66 billion offer for Fox.
beyond the U.S. closes. In addition to boost- The Walt Disney Co. had
Fox shareholders are to ing the Disney streaming topped Comcast's bid by
vote on the Disney deal on service, expected to de- offering $71 billion. The U.S.
July 27. but next year, the deal Department of Justice has
Cable and telecom com- paves the way for Marvel's approved Disney's bid as