Quinnmac000
Well-Known Member
The question was will they be allowed which technically they are allowed. Not if they will buy.
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Disney's Next Acquisition Speculation / Discussion
- Thread starter Darkprime
- Start date
The question was will they be allowed which technically they are allowed. Not if they will buy.
brodie999
Active Member
So the same thing applies to Disney If Paramount doesn't have a lot of market share. If they're allowed to, the word "impossible" won't ever be used again when it comes to acquisitions and mergers.
Disney might have room for one more acquisition before they are classed as a monopoly by anti-trust. They currently own 36-40% of box office marketshare depending on who you ask. If they acquire anyone id rather it be Sony Pictures. They need Spider-Man back hes the premium marvel character. Its funny how the tables have turned. Marvel nearly has all its characters back and there's been talk of DC getting broken up like Marvel was back in the 90s because AT&T doesn't see the DC film division as a valuable asset.
bartholomr4
Well-Known Member
AT&T’s Merger with TimeWarner was taken to court for Antitrust (it took almost 2 years but they finally won) and Comcast had to have a special agreement with the Justice Department with oversight for 6 years after they purchased NBCU... Neither would be “allowed”
There are a few analysts who believe Disney should get broken up. I dont think it would ever be considered unless they tried to buy out another competitor like Sony. That would raise some eyebrows after buying Fox. Whats more likely at this point is an extension of the Sony/Marvel deal. Its the safer play to avoid being scrutinised by anti-trust. Maybe Iger/Feige can somehow convince Sony to give up control of Spidey and return the production rights but keep distribution but I don't really see Sony giving up the IP completely anytime soon unless Disney wanted to overpay.
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brodie999
Active Member
Oh... so if Disney did buy Viacom, they'd go to court. So they can take a few years to win or do a special arrangement with the DOJ. If they ever do one more acquisition like Sony Pictures, there's no doubt they'll win in the end.
It Is What It Is
Active Member
I've wondered why Google is sitting on the sidelines. They definitely have the capital to get into the content business. As you mention though, they are in the same bucket of hot water as Amazon and Apple, politically.
A lot of of the tech companies are being highly scrutinised by the government right now. Which is probably why Google is focusing on Stadia as its way in to the world of streaming. Google starting up a streaming service would probably be seen as a conflict of interest considering they already have youtube. There has been speculation that Amazon or Google etc could get broken up. The DOJ doesnt like that the tech companies have gotten so big which is funny considering they let Disney buy Fox. Different business sure.
But if there is a list of company's that need to be broken up then Disney should probably be on that list maybe even in the top 5 companies to break up. We all like Disney and their franchises and brands but we cant deny that they have gotten scary big. They control so much of pop culture and entertainment that other studios are finding it hard to compete because Disney has the biggest brands.
I gotta say the thought of Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm being their own studios again is weird. If Pixar was broken off from Disney id imagine someone like Apple or Sony would be interested. Wonder if they would survive on their own? These studios having Disney money behind them is what made them global content powerhouses. Marvel especially is probably big enough at this point to stay on their own. Its Pixar, Lucasfilm and Fox id worry about if Disney ever got broken up.
Fox has basically been gutted from the inside out and if it were to get broken off from Disney now idk how they would survive. They've lost their biggest franchises. Their entire slate is has been dumped and rebooted to fit closer with the Disney brand etc it would be certainly interesting to watch from the outside and to see how Disney would adapt. Realistically though. I don't see Disney ever getting broken up. Their not a tech company their just a very powerful movie studio.
Momentum grows to break up big tech, as Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple face scrutiny
Regulators are gearing up to investigate the largest US tech companies. But are breakups of these corporations on the horizon?
www.cnet.com
Big Tech: What Would Breaking Up Amazon, Google and Facebook Mean? | Digital Trends
Breaking up Big Tech would have a massive impact on Silicon Valley. But if the government used its antitrust powers to break up Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple, would you even notice the effects in your day-to-day life? We spoke to experts to find out the impact it would have on regular people
www.digitaltrends.com
brodie999
Active Member
Hold on a minute. Some experts say this move isn't likely because mergers like AT&T-Time Warner and Disney-Fox were criticised by the DOJ, but were eventually approved and Investors aren't worried about anything. So I'm sure the GOP and big tech companies will become best friends.A lot of of the tech companies are being highly scrutinised by the government right now. Which is probably why Google is focusing on Stadia as its way in to the world of streaming. Google starting up a streaming service would probably be seen as a conflict of interest considering they already have youtube. There has been speculation that Amazon or Google etc could get broken up. The DOJ doesnt like that the tech companies have gotten so big which is funny considering they let Disney buy Fox. Different business sure.
But if there is a list of company's that need to be broken up then Disney should probably be on that list maybe even in the top 5 companies to break up. We all like Disney and their franchises and brands but we cant deny that they have gotten scary big. They control so much of pop culture and entertainment that other studios are finding it hard to compete because Disney has the biggest brands.
I gotta say the thought of Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm being their own studios again is weird. If Pixar was broken off from Disney id imagine someone like Apple or Sony would be interested. Wonder if they would survive on their own? These studios having Disney money behind them is what made them global content powerhouses. Marvel especially is probably big enough at this point to stay on their own. Its Pixar, Lucasfilm and Fox id worry about if Disney ever got broken up.
Fox has basically been gutted from the inside out and if it were to get broken off from Disney now idk how they would survive. They've lost their biggest franchises. Their entire slate is has been dumped and rebooted to fit closer with the Disney brand etc it would be certainly interesting to watch from the outside and to see how Disney would adapt. Realistically though. I don't see Disney ever getting broken up. Their not a tech company their just a very powerful movie studio.
Momentum grows to break up big tech, as Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple face scrutiny
Regulators are gearing up to investigate the largest US tech companies. But are breakups of these corporations on the horizon?
Big Tech: What Would Breaking Up Amazon, Google and Facebook Mean? | Digital Trends
Breaking up Big Tech would have a massive impact on Silicon Valley. But if the government used its antitrust powers to break up Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple, would you even notice the effects in your day-to-day life? We spoke to experts to find out the impact it would have on regular people
Quinnmac000
Well-Known Member
Depends on who is in the white house....people already want AT&T and Comcast decisions reversed and running on platforms for that. So no, its not a no doubt win. Its extremely fluid situation.
superdeluxe
New Member
With the recent Spider-man news, I could see Disney maybe wanting Sony Pictures, But I'm not sure if that would make it through the federal regulators. At that point Disney would have purchased 2 of the top 5 studios in the business. You have to ask yourself, Right now Disney is making a certain amount of dollars for the content it already has, If they acquire MORE content, they would likely significantly need to raise the price. Not sure Disney actually *needs* more content.
Previous purchases have been strong IPs that could translate to all of their businesses (Merchandising/Toys/Theme Parks/Movies/TV). If they were to make a Major acquisition, I think it could be one that was rumored in the past. Hasbro. Hasbro gives you lots of flexibility in regards to IPs/Merchandise/TV/Movie/Toy potential. It also has Wizards of the Coast, and with the booming popularity of Dungeons and Dragons, more IPs to mine for Disneyland.
So if we are speaking to what makes sense AND what I'd like to see, I think Hasbro would be a good partner. But I don't see that coming for another 5-10 years. Fox was a major major acquisition.
Previous purchases have been strong IPs that could translate to all of their businesses (Merchandising/Toys/Theme Parks/Movies/TV). If they were to make a Major acquisition, I think it could be one that was rumored in the past. Hasbro. Hasbro gives you lots of flexibility in regards to IPs/Merchandise/TV/Movie/Toy potential. It also has Wizards of the Coast, and with the booming popularity of Dungeons and Dragons, more IPs to mine for Disneyland.
So if we are speaking to what makes sense AND what I'd like to see, I think Hasbro would be a good partner. But I don't see that coming for another 5-10 years. Fox was a major major acquisition.
superdeluxe
New Member
Oh and I agree with a game company. Either EA (if you are going big) or Square Enix. But Disney has stated multiple times that they are perfectly fine licensing their games out to a 3rd party, Games is just something they can't seem to manage very well.
Its hard to say whether an acquisition of SPE would get approved. If it was just SPE on its own maybe. SPE on its own would be on the level of Marvel or Lucasfilm imo. If it was just the Spider-Man rights they really wanted maybe they could enter an agreement with the DOJ to spin-off SPE after 90 days once they transfer the Spider-Man rights to Marvel. It seems like whole lot of work to go through the approval process just for Spider-Man though.
I still think Disney entering into a partnership to acquire SPE with a Amazon or Netflix isn't a terrible idea. I wonder if the DOJ would allow it if they said "All right tbh we really just want Spider-Man, Sony has agreed to sell, once we give Spider-Man back to Marvel. 90 days after closing the acquisition we will spin-off SPE to our partner Amazon/Netflix"
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The only thing Disney can get approval to buy from Sony is the Spiderman rights. There was a rumor Sony wanted 10 billion for them. Now, I would offer 4 billion if I were Disney, provided that also included all the Sony Spiderman films and Television shows. Maybe they could go s little higher but Sony is crazy if they think their Spiderman rights and library are worth anything close to 10 billion.
What do you think about a partnership with Amazon or Netflix? Disney gets Spider-Man and Amazon or Netflix get SPE.
I would love that. I would wotk with any company that were interested in buying Sony Pictures.
superdeluxe
New Member
My understanding is that the Spider-Man rights would revert BACK to Disney if Sony was ever sold.
Even if the rights would revert back, which I am not sure is true, it would still make sense for Disney to get involved and buy the Spiderman Library.