Disney's Next Acquisition Speculation / Discussion

[Disney Irish]

Disney's next acquisition is easy, the 1/3 of Hulu they don't own. Now, they should actually triple down on it and buy MGM Entertainment. That would give them full ownership of "Handmaid's Tale" and thousands of other shows and movies.

I wonder if they can even accelerate the 2024 Hulu purchase timeline.

I'm still not sold on MGM. I think SPE would be better, but that is just my opinion.

Of couse I wouldn't stop there. Disney needs to improve it's themepark capacity and numbers so they should buy Seaworld and Cedar Fair. Yes, both of them. Seaworld Orlando would give them their 5th gate in Orlando while Cedar Fair would give them their third in Anaheim. Plus Seaworld San Diego is only a 90 minute drive from Disneyland and could be added to those vacationing at the DLR. The remaining parks could be put in a new Division, Regional Parks, and used as a marketing tool for Disney+, Disneý Movies, Disney Television and Destination Vacations. Plus, Florida and Texas are fast growing states and Williamsburg is close to the only city that never has a recession, Washington DC.

Bob Chapek has the opportunity to put his mark on the Company and today is the day. They have the money so use it.

That would leave Disney, Universal, and Six Flags as the only major theme park operators in the US. Not sure that would pass regulatory scrutiny by the SEC. We haven't had a major consolidation of the theme park industry since Cedar Fair purchase Paramount Parks from CBS. So it'd be interesting to see if some consolidation happens again in the near future and if Disney would be part of it.

 

[Quinnmac000]

I've always maintained that Nintendo is the most natural fit for Disney in the gaming arena. The company is practically the video game equivalent of Disney and it would be vertical integration, so regulators in the U.S. and Japan would be more likely to approve it than, say, another film studio.
Disney would be able to license Nintendo's properties across multiple platforms in a way that Nintendo may not be able, perhaps create a video game component to Disney's streaming strategy. Nintendo in turn would be able to do so much with Disney's IP, throughout their many platforms. Also, who doesn't want to see Mario and Mickey Mouse in a game together? Sure, there is the Universal Studios agreement. But at the same time, Disney cannot use The Simpsons or Marvel Characters in certain locales.
That being said, god only knows if Nintendo would even be up for sale. The Yamauchi family has been very protective of the company and would need to be consulted for such a deal to take place. If Microsoft could not get Nintendo to even come to the table, what chance could Disney have? That is not even approaching the pricing. A deal of this magnitude could well reach as high as the 21st Century Fox acquisition. Potentially it could go even higher, especially when one considers how aggressive Nintendo as a corporation is.
That being said, it's possible Disney would be willing to shoulder those costs for a prize as vast as Nintendo. And Disney has shown to have a successful track record as far as acquisitions are concerned.
Let me put it this way; I firmly believe that if Nintendo even so much as hinted at Disney a willingness for a merger, Disney lawyers would be at Nintendo's main office in Osaka with an early deal proposal within an hour.

Disney tried...Nintendo said no.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I've always maintained that Nintendo is the most natural fit for Disney in the gaming arena. The company is practically the video game equivalent of Disney and it would be vertical integration, so regulators in the U.S. and Japan would be more likely to approve it than, say, another film studio.
Disney would be able to license Nintendo's properties across multiple platforms in a way that Nintendo may not be able, perhaps create a video game component to Disney's streaming strategy. Nintendo in turn would be able to do so much with Disney's IP, throughout their many platforms. Also, who doesn't want to see Mario and Mickey Mouse in a game together? Sure, there is the Universal Studios agreement. But at the same time, Disney cannot use The Simpsons or Marvel Characters in certain locales.
That being said, god only knows if Nintendo would even be up for sale. The Yamauchi family has been very protective of the company and would need to be consulted for such a deal to take place. If Microsoft could not get Nintendo to even come to the table, what chance could Disney have? That is not even approaching the pricing. A deal of this magnitude could well reach as high as the 21st Century Fox acquisition. Potentially it could go even higher, especially when one considers how aggressive Nintendo as a corporation is.
That being said, it's possible Disney would be willing to shoulder those costs for a prize as vast as Nintendo. And Disney has shown to have a successful track record as far as acquisitions are concerned.
Let me put it this way; I firmly believe that if Nintendo even so much as hinted at Disney a willingness for a merger, Disney lawyers would be at Nintendo's main office in Osaka with an early deal proposal within an hour.

Not only would they not sell, but yeah, it would also be more expensive than anything else they have purchased. They are better off looking into other gaming companies like Square Enix, Sega, Ubisoft, etc.

 

[Darkprime]

The WarnerMedia-Discovery deal was structured to make a future sale easier

John Malone was willing to give up super-voting shares in Discovery to make a future sale easier, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

www.cnbc.com

Well this just got interesting.

• Apple, Amazon and Disney could emerge as future buyers assuming WarnerMedia-Discovery gets regulatory approval.

 

[Slpy3270]

The WarnerMedia-Discovery deal was structured to make a future sale easier

John Malone was willing to give up super-voting shares in Discovery to make a future sale easier, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

www.cnbc.com

Well this just got interesting.

Disney, nah.

Amazon, Netflix and Apple are more realistic but all three have resisted buying traditional media companies given that neither have interest in being conglomerates.

 

[brodie999]

Discovery, WarnerMedia merger likely to pass regulatory scrutiny – analysts

The deal will face regulatory scrutiny, but analysts say company executives are likely to argue that combining network assets will benefit consumers by creating stronger competition for streaming leaders such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

www.spglobal.com

 

[Slpy3270]

Discovery, WarnerMedia merger likely to pass regulatory scrutiny – analysts

The deal will face regulatory scrutiny, but analysts say company executives are likely to argue that combining network assets will benefit consumers by creating stronger competition for streaming leaders such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

www.spglobal.com

Umm...of course it is? Discovery is not a telecom and doesn't have a film studio or any comparable cable networks (truTV (WM) and Discovery Family (Discovery) notwithstanding; both will probably close in the aftermath).

 

[brodie999]

Apparently, Disney is looking into buying DC Comics. I'd be surprised if they bought Warner Bros, Discovery and WarnerMedia as part of the deal.

Disney Buying DC Comics 2021, Marvel News Story

Disney buying DC Comics 2021, is the latest major information happening in the entertainment world, as we get exclusive information.

onsmash.com

 

[Slpy3270]

Apparently, Disney is looking into buying DC Comics. I'd be surprised if they bought Warner Bros, Discovery and WarnerMedia as part of the deal.

Disney Buying DC Comics 2021, Marvel News Story

Disney buying DC Comics 2021, is the latest major information happening in the entertainment world, as we get exclusive information.

onsmash.com

I've called people out on Twitter for this and I'll call them out here as well: this rumor is bull and has absolutely no grain of credibility to it. Stop spreading it.

 

[Robbiem]

Would a DC / Disney-Marvel deal pass regulators?

 

[Slpy3270]

So it turns out Disney *did* consider buying Time Warner....but Iger made a phone call too late.

An Alternate Reality for the WarnerMedia Deal

What if Time Warner had gotten a fateful phone call earlier in 2016?

www.nytimes.com

Honestly, it's for the best. Imagine what Toby and Kevin would have done to Disney studios.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Apparently, Disney is looking into buying DC Comics. I'd be surprised if they bought Warner Bros, Discovery and WarnerMedia as part of the deal.

Disney Buying DC Comics 2021, Marvel News Story

Disney buying DC Comics 2021, is the latest major information happening in the entertainment world, as we get exclusive information.

onsmash.com

Personally I would rather see Comcast own WB. The would officially own Harry Potter and could fix the DC universe.

 

[seascape]

Personally I would rather see Comcast own WB. The would officially own Harry Potter and could fix the DC universe.

Neither Comcast nor Disney would ever be allowed to buy Warner Brothers and with the addition of Discovery it is even more unlikely. The original suggestion was that Comcast and AT&T both spun off Warner Brothers and Universal into a third and separate company. But Comcast was against that proposal. The most likely addition Comcast could buy is Lionsgate.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Neither Comcast nor Disney would ever be allowed to buy Warner Brothers and with the addition of Discovery it is even more unlikely. The original suggestion was that Comcast and AT&T both spun off Warner Brothers and Universal into a third and separate company. But Comcast was against that proposal. The most likely addition Comcast could buy is Lionsgate.

Wow that's pretty interesting. What about the rumors of Comcast buying ViacomCBS through a hostile takeover?

 

[seascape]

Wow that's pretty interesting. What about the rumors of Comcast buying ViacomCBS through a hostile takeover?

Comcast can't buy CBS since they own NBC. Plus unless Viacom decided to spin off CBS, which won't happen Comcast can't win a hostile bid as it would violate the Antitrust laws. Again. Comcast can only buy a studio. That is why Disney didn't merge with Fox but only purchased certain assets and Murdoch had to agree with it or there would not have been a deal.

 

[J4546]

I think disney should buy Loungefly. My gf has like 10 of them and I see those little backpacks everywhere in/out of the parks. And please change them so that one of the side pockets was velcro or expandable and could be used to hold a water bottle...then they could start selling loungefly water bottles too lol

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Comcast can't buy CBS since they own NBC. Plus unless Viacom decided to spin off CBS, which won't happen Comcast can't win a hostile bid as it would violate the Antitrust laws. Again. Comcast can only buy a studio. That is why Disney didn't merge with Fox but only purchased certain assets and Murdoch had to agree with it or there would not have been a deal.

Oh ok that makes sense. I wonder what the future will hold for some of these companies.

 

[seascape]

Oh ok that makes sense. I wonder what the future will hold for some of these companies.

Expect more consolidation but carefully done so as not to have a fight like AT&T did with their purchase of WB. I can see Disney buy another small studio and Comcast doing the same. It is possible that we wind up with Comcast, Disney and Warner Brothers as the big 3 with Amazon and Netflix as the others in the US studio business. What happens to Sony's Columbia studio is going to be very interesting. Also, expect to see more foreign movies come to the US market as a 45 day theatrical window opens up more screens to show more movies.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Expect more consolidation but carefully done so as not to have a fight like AT&T did with their purchase of WB. I can see Disney buy another small studio and Comcast doing the same. It is possible that we wind up with Comcast, Disney and Warner Brothers as the big 3 with Amazon and Netflix as the others in the US studio business. What happens to Sony's Columbia studio is going to be very interesting. Also, expect to see more foreign movies come to the US market as a 45 day theatrical window opens up more screens to show more movies.

Plus Apple wants in on the movie and tv business. There was rumor Apple might buy Sony. And Amazon buying MGM and Lionsgate as well.

 

[seascape]

Plus Apple wants in on the movie and tv business. There was rumor Apple might buy Sony. And Amazon buying MGM and Lionsgate as well.

I forgot Apple. Plus if Amazon buys both MGM and Lionsgate and Apple buys Sony, does Disney get Soiderman back for free and what is left for Comcast?

On the streaming side of the business, Peacock is not doing as well as some think. Everyone I know has signed up for fhe free version and will never pay for it. That is where most of their customers come from, for free. I pay for Disney+ Hulu and Paramount+. I am also a Prime member but dropped Netflix. If I still need to watch something else there are tons of other free streaming services and no reason to give my money to anyone else. In fact after the first year of Paramount+ Ibmay drop it. It is worth the $60.00 ad free deal for the first year but not worth a penny more.