Disney Vs Comcast

[seascape]

It is now about 6 years since Disney purchased Fox and Comcast purchased Sky. Which company did better?

We must start by looking at the Market cap of both companies in 2019. Comcast was worth just over $150 billion and Disney was worth a little less. So today Comcast has a market cap of $128.589 or about $22 billion less even though they paid over over $30 billion for Sky. Disney paid $71.3 billion for Fox but got about $25 billion for their Sky portion and RSN'S. They also got a bit more for other assest sales and as of today Disney's market cap is $204.027 billion or $74.438 billion more than Comcast's.

Now, honestly looking at the numbers Comcast is a complete and utter failure. Disney is worth a bit more that the addition net purchase but not by much. So, the purchase didn't work out as hoped but didn't fail like Comcast.

Looking towards the future Comcast is losing it's video business and broadband. The future of internet service will be a low cost and low profit business not what Comcast believed. Further their $90 plus billion dollar debt is a much bigger problem than Disney's $38 billion debt. The only business Comcast has that is really successful if their parks.

What assests can Comcast dispose of that can be used to pay off the debt? The spin off of the cable networks are designed to increase value to the shareholders so they won't be giving much of the debt to the new company. The cable and broadband are shrinking. The studio and NBC are profitable and because of sports needs Peacock. If Robert's wants to keep his father's legacy he will keep Comcast, NBC and Universal but be forced to sell or spin off the Parks. The only other option is sell Comcast to Charter and that might not be allowed.

 

[JoeCamel]

It is now about 6 years since Disney purchased Fox and Comcast purchased Sky. Which company did better?

We must start by looking at the Market cap of both companies in 2019. Comcast was worth just over $150 billion and Disney was worth a little less. So today Comcast has a market cap of $128.589 or about $22 billion less even though they paid over over $30 billion for Sky. Disney paid $71.3 billion for Fox but got about $25 billion for their Sky portion and RSN'S. They also got a bit more for other assest sales and as of today Disney's market cap is $204.027 billion or $74.438 billion more than Comcast's.

Now, honestly looking at the numbers Comcast is a complete and utter failure. Disney is worth a bit more that the addition net purchase but not by much. So, the purchase didn't work out as hoped but didn't fail like Comcast.

Looking towards the future Comcast is losing it's video business and broadband. The future of internet service will be a low cost and low profit business not what Comcast believed. Further their $90 plus billion dollar debt is a much bigger problem than Disney's $38 billion debt. The only business Comcast has that is really successful if their parks.

What assests can Comcast dispose of that can be used to pay off the debt? The spin off of the cable networks are designed to increase value to the shareholders so they won't be giving much of the debt to the new company. The cable and broadband are shrinking. The studio and NBC are profitable and because of sports needs Peacock. If Robert's wants to keep his father's legacy he will keep Comcast, NBC and Universal but be forced to sell or spin off the Parks. The only other option is sell Comcast to Charter and that might not be allowed.

Anything left of your grindstone after grinding that axe?

 

[thomas998]

It is now about 6 years since Disney purchased Fox and Comcast purchased Sky. Which company did better?

We must start by looking at the Market cap of both companies in 2019. Comcast was worth just over $150 billion and Disney was worth a little less. So today Comcast has a market cap of $128.589 or about $22 billion less even though they paid over over $30 billion for Sky. Disney paid $71.3 billion for Fox but got about $25 billion for their Sky portion and RSN'S. They also got a bit more for other assest sales and as of today Disney's market cap is $204.027 billion or $74.438 billion more than Comcast's.

Now, honestly looking at the numbers Comcast is a complete and utter failure. Disney is worth a bit more that the addition net purchase but not by much. So, the purchase didn't work out as hoped but didn't fail like Comcast.

Looking towards the future Comcast is losing it's video business and broadband. The future of internet service will be a low cost and low profit business not what Comcast believed. Further their $90 plus billion dollar debt is a much bigger problem than Disney's $38 billion debt. The only business Comcast has that is really successful if their parks.

What assests can Comcast dispose of that can be used to pay off the debt? The spin off of the cable networks are designed to increase value to the shareholders so they won't be giving much of the debt to the new company. The cable and broadband are shrinking. The studio and NBC are profitable and because of sports needs Peacock. If Robert's wants to keep his father's legacy he will keep Comcast, NBC and Universal but be forced to sell or spin off the Parks. The only other option is sell Comcast to Charter and that might not be allowed.

You can save yourself a lot of time by just looking at the stock performance from the time of the deals to today... For comcast their stock went from 35.50 to 34.70 so it lost a bit but they had total dividend payments of 7.09 during that time so an investor got a net gain of 6.29.... for Disney they went from 111 to 113.9 and had dividends of 3.01, for a net gain of 5.91 for the investors... Really neither one has done that well but you can't say Disney was the better deal. In fact if you had reinvested money from the dividends as you received them Comcast would have gained even more because Disney only paid 4 dividends during that period because they did so poorly they cut dividends for several years.

Or you could look at it another way... if you invested 1000 dollars in each company, you would have 1199.72 today if you had put the money in Comcast... if you had put it into Disney you would have 1056.67... Bigger difference because Comcast was selling for substantially less per share so you got way more of it than Disney.

The more I think about it the more I think you would be way better off if you had put the money in Comcast... Kind annoyed I own Disney shares and not Comcast.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Disney is a worse managed company than Comcast, which says a lot.

Disney isn't a traditional media company and that should be to its benefit, but somehow they've done worse than Comcast in the last 10 years.

 

[celluloid]

Comcast is shifting because they need to continue to diversify as trends in communications and internet change. They excel in going towards the entertainment side for this which has been healthy for them as they continue to learn about that side of the business and being the first whole owner of Universal in their post origin history.
Disney is an entertainment company that is doing less than they used to at entertainment.

 

[Stripes]

Disney is far better positioned for the future than Comcast is.

Comcast is so desperate to diversify their business that their representatives are blatantly lying to their customers in order to get them to sign up for new services.

 

[Stripes]

In fact if you had reinvested money from the dividends as you received them Comcast would have gained even more because Disney only paid 4 dividends during that period because they did so poorly they cut dividends for several years.

Disney’s massive parks business being closed during the pandemic and the accompanying increase in leverage due to their closure required the suspension and reduction of the dividend.

Comcast’s pandemic exposure was much more limited.

 

[networkpro]

Disney’s massive parks business being closed during the pandemic and the accompanying increase in leverage due to their closure required the suspension and reduction of the dividend.

Comcast’s pandemic exposure was much more limited.

True but the paradigm Comcast used is changing. Last mile service with packaged bundles is no longer the profit center it used to be. However, they also are not mandating entertainment content viewpoints which has a broader consumer penetration and adoption rate. Most consumers just want diversions from everyday life struggles.

 

[Stripes]

However, they also are not mandating entertainment content viewpoints which has a broader consumer penetration and adoption rate. Most consumers just want diversions from everyday life struggles.

I’m not clear what you are saying here. Are you implying that Disney, but not NBCUniversal, is mandating that the stories they tell have a viewpoint?

Because I’m pretty sure neither studio green lights a project without making sure there’s a viewpoint being shared with the audience. By definition, a TV show or movie has a viewpoint.

Of course, according to Pete Docter, Pixar is pivoting away from giving directors the freedom of telling stories based on their personal childhoods to limiting green lights to stories with “clear mass appeal.” Are you criticizing this pivot as a restriction of creative freedom?

 

[thomas998]

Disney’s massive parks business being closed during the pandemic and the accompanying increase in leverage due to their closure required the suspension and reduction of the dividend.

Comcast’s pandemic exposure was much more limited.

Ignore the pandemic and just look at the dividend yields in the past years after the pandemic... they are crap and haven't been even 1%... You have to go back to the 1980's to get a yield that is even close to what Comcast has been getting in the past decade.

The reality is the shareholder of Disney are getting hosed by bad management. You can try to make any excuses you want, but the return on investment of Disney is bad. One of the worst stocks performance wise that I own.

 

[Stripes]

Ignore the pandemic and just look at the dividend yields in the past years after the pandemic... they are crap and haven't been even 1%... You have to go back to the 1980's to get a yield that is even close to what Comcast has been getting in the past decade.

The reality is the shareholder of Disney are getting hosed by bad management. You can try to make any excuses you want, but the return on investment of Disney is bad. One of the worst stocks performance wise that I own.

The company’s management has rightfully prioritized paying down the debt that was accrued during the pandemic versus paying dividends. You can’t “ignore the pandemic.”

These are decisions to better position the company over the long-term versus prioritizing short-term shareholder profits.

The company’s management has been making significant progress in the past couple years. As a fellow shareholder, I’m quite happy with what I’m seeing as far as the financial direction of the company.

Investing is about the future, not the past. I think the future of TWDC looks very bright. However, this is merely my personal opinion. This isn’t financial advice.

 

[mkt]

Does Comcast's market cap account for the spin off of Versant?

 

[Stripes]

Does Comcast's market cap account for the spin off of Versant?

Not yet.

 

[Stripes]

Disney is a worse managed company than Comcast, which says a lot.

This is merely your personal opinion. It doesn’t say much at all.

 

[networkpro]

I’m not clear what you are saying here. Are you implying that Disney, but not NBCUniversal, is mandating that the stories they tell have a viewpoint?

Because I’m pretty sure neither studio green lights a project without making sure there’s a viewpoint being shared with the audience. By definition, a TV show or movie has a viewpoint.

Of course, according to Pete Docter, Pixar is pivoting away from giving directors the freedom of telling stories based on their personal childhoods to limiting green lights to stories with “clear mass appeal.” Are you criticizing this pivot as a restriction of creative freedom?

I'll say that in the marketplace of ideas that are presented for potential production, Disney has over the last years the shifted from classic archetypal stories, basically a modern mythology -- that conveyed universally shared, if sometimes difficult to witness, truths about life -- to preachy, pandering, patronizing pop-ideologies.

I'll present the latest live actions movies from each as contrasting examples: Snow White vs How to train your dragon.

 

[CoastalElite64]

I'll say that in the marketplace of ideas that are presented for potential production, Disney has over the last years the shifted from classic archetypal stories, basically a modern mythology -- that conveyed universally shared, if sometimes difficult to witness, truths about life -- to preachy, pandering, patronizing pop-ideologies.

I'll present the latest live actions movies from each as contrasting examples: Snow White vs How to train your dragon.

Ridiculous to compare the live action adaption of a very old IP to a modern IP.

 

[networkpro]

Ridiculous to compare the live action adaption of a very old IP to a modern IP.

Both are modern new releases subject to their respective companies approval process.

 

[Stripes]

I'll say that in the marketplace of ideas that are presented for potential production, Disney has over the last years the shifted from classic archetypal stories, basically a modern mythology -- that conveyed universally shared, if sometimes difficult to witness, truths about life -- to preachy, pandering, patronizing pop-ideologies.

I'll present the latest live actions movies from each as contrasting examples: Snow White vs How to train your dragon.

The latest live action film from Disney is Lilo and Stitch.

Regarding Snow White, I don’t believe the 2025 film deviated from conveying the same universal truths about life that the 1937 film shared.

1) Kindness attracts friendship and support from others
2) Evil’s existence means that innocence alone doesn’t protect you
3) Jealousy and vanity destroy people from the inside
4) Love triumphs over evil

These are the universal truths are present in the 1937 film and they are also present in the 2025 film.

 

[coffeefan]

Comcast was named the most hated company in America for many years. Most fans are probably just fans of Universal.

 

[networkpro]

The latest live action film from Disney is Lilo and Stitch.

Regarding Snow White, I don’t believe the 2025 film deviated from conveying the same universal truths about life that the 1937 film shared.

1) Kindness attracts friendship and support from others
2) Evil’s existence means that innocence alone doesn’t protect you
3) Jealousy and vanity destroy people from the inside
4) Love triumphs over evil

These are the universal truths are present in the 1937 film and they are also present in the 2025 film.

I'd disagree with the themes of anti-oppression, social justice, and the dangers of unchecked power, all reflecting the film's anti-fascist undertones. After all its set in a feudal society.