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News Disney and Fox come to terms -- announcement soon; huge IP acquisition

Slpy3270

Slpy3270

Well-Known Member
This is a surprise.

Former WB exec Craig Hunegs has been named President of Disney Television Studios post-merger close.
deadline.com

Craig Hunegs Named President Of Disney Television Studios

Warner Bros. TV veteran Craig Hunegs will be joining the Walt Disney Company at the close of the pending 21st Century Fox acquisition as President, Disney Television Studios, the combined TV studio operation comprised by 20th Century Fox TV, Fox 21 TV Studios and ABC Studios/ABC Signature. He...
deadline.com deadline.com

Disney TV Studios will comprise of ABC Studios, 20th Century Fox Television, ABC Signature and Fox 21. Expect either one or all of those brands to disappear at some point because of the consolidation.

Hunegs was the one who helped launch the DC Universe and Boomerang streaming services, and got Warner Bros. to purchase Machinima.
 
D

Darkprime

Well-Known Member
Slpy3270 said:
So it seems like divesting Fox sports channels aren't enough for Televisa. They just want the deal blocked outright.

Normally one would assume the courts would rule against Televisa. But AMLO is president of the country and he suggested there was a conflict of interest with IFT, so anything goes really.
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I dont think this is the case.

Televisa expressed "its interest in not having anti-competitive effects in the markets in which it participates", both before Cofece and the IFT, which also refused to recognize it as an interested party.
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Maybe disney offers to divest something else in Mexico tv related just to keep them happy. Or IFT just ignore the challenge and approve anyway.
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Slpy3270 said:
Disney TV Studios will comprise of ABC Studios, 20th Century Fox Television, ABC Signature and Fox 21. Expect either one or all of those brands to disappear at some point because of the consolidation.
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Not likely to be the case. Iger wants all studios to be churning out content for D+, their top priority.
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Slpy3270 said:
Except, that will lead to a heavily competitive environment between the four. And as Turner-TimeWarner and CBS-Viacom showed, that's not always beneficial.
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Disney's been doing fine managing competition between all their movie studios. Besides, D+ is going to have a voracious appetite for original programming. And so will Hulu, which will be happy to have the more adult fare of the Fox studios. And that's just streaming. They're going to keep all the current ABC, Disney, Fox, and FX cable stations.

Also, CBS-Viacom's administration is dysfunctional and toxic.
 
Slpy3270

Slpy3270

Well-Known Member
There's something in that Variety article Darkprime posted hours ago that should really alarm Disney post-merger.

The long slog to getting the transaction completed has taken a toll on 20th Century Fox TV’s talent roster. The studio saw its starriest producer, Ryan Murphy, exit last summer for an ultra-rich deal at Netflix.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller are among the more prominent names expected to end production deals at Fox once their current deal expires in June. According to sources, the celebrated duo is “running out the clock” at the studio. They are believed to have had discussions with streamers Netflix and Amazon, with more traditional studios also said to be in the mix.

One source noted that Sony is looking to sign some big names to remain competitive with studio rivals and streaming services, and might be willing to shell out big bucks to land creators with the profile of Lord and Miller, who recently collaborated with Sony on the Oscar-winning animated hit “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

Also in play is “Modern Family” co-creator Steve Levitan, whose deal at the Fox TV studio runs out in August. Levitan has previously stated that he would wait until the fate of “Modern Family” was decided before making any post-merger plans. That time has come, as it was announced that the show would return for an 11th and final season this fall. Levitan is believed to have several options before him at present.

Then there is Fox favorite Seth MacFarlane, the creator of animated powerhouse “Family Guy” and the live-action sci-fi series “The Orville,” on which MacFarlane also stars. MacFarlane’s deal is up in June, and the major streamers and studios are all said to be courting him.
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Putting aside the other talent defections (Lord and Miller leaving is absolutely no surprise when you consider what Disney did to them with Solo), if MacFarlane goes, it'll be very difficult to see how Disney will move forward with Family Guy without him. The situation's not like The Simpsons, who hasn't had Matt Groening on board for a while. MacFarlane is to Family Guy what Trey Parker and Matt Stone are to South Park; the shows simply can't live without them. It'll also be very difficult to find new voice actors for MacFarlane's characters in the show should he leave.
 
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Slpy3270

Slpy3270

Well-Known Member
Darkprime said:
I never really thought Family Guy would carry on under Disney anyway it looks like Simpsons will though.
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Both shows would be worth more to Disney if they were canceled. Unfortunately, Fox renewed both shows last month, the former with one season and the latter with two.

But it's not like they can sit on them once they end. Both have huge fan followings and are cash cows to Fox, and while The Simpsons has shown they can move on without Groening having a significant role (he's still exec producer and is still involved in merch, but Al Jean calls most of the shots now), MacFarlane has been attached to the show since day one. There's never been a time where Family Guy ventured out of his league. He's voiced several of the main characters, a lot of the parody and side characters, did the show's trademark style. It's impossible to separate Family Guy from him. And if he leaves Fox come June, who's going to take the reins from then on out?

And it's not like Disney is going to sell the rights to the IP back to him. In the age of streaming, licensing and merchandising opportunities, that's a non-starter.
 
D

Darkprime

Well-Known Member
Slpy3270 said:
Both shows would be worth more to Disney if they were canceled. Unfortunately, Fox renewed both shows last month, the former with one season and the latter with two.

But it's not like they can sit on them once they end. Both have huge fan followings and are cash cows to Fox, and while The Simpsons has shown they can move on without Groening having a significant role (he's still exec producer and is still involved in merch, but Al Jean calls most of the shots now), MacFarlane has been attached to the show since day one. There's never been a time where Family Guy ventured out of his league. He's voiced several of the main characters, a lot of the parody and side characters, did the show's trademark style. It's impossible to separate Family Guy from him. And if he leaves Fox come June, who's going to take the reins from then on out?

And it's not like Disney is going to sell the rights to the IP back to him. In the age of streaming, licensing and merchandising opportunities, that's a non-starter.
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If Family guy is renewed doesnt that mean Seth will be under contract with Fox? Fox will still technically exist wont it so his contract wouldn't be suddenly invalid.
 

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