. The owner of ESPN and ABC also scoops up the FX and National Geographic channels, a controlling stake in streaming service Hulu and Fox’s international television portfolio.
“Bob is playing the game to win,” said Laura Martin, media analyst at Needham & Co. “But he’s taking a $71-billion risk with Disney shareholder money.” Iger pushed Disney to expand globally through a series of savvy deals: the 2006 purchase of Pixar for $7.4 billion, the 2010 addition of Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion and the takeover in 2012 of “Star Wars” creator Lucasfilm, also for $4 billion.“The thing that Bob has done, which is so impressive, is to continue the company’s legacy of pairing great creativity with technology,” Eisner said in an interview. “He has strengthened the company and kept Disney in a leadership role.
To be sure, there have been missteps. Disney’s $675-million gamble on Maker Studios, a network for YouTube creators, misfired. ABC has struggled to maintain its audience. And ESPN has felt the sting of cable TV cord-cutters, which cut its subscriber base and revenue. And its $400-million investment in Vice Media has yet to pay off.Iger recognized nearly two years ago that Disney needed more TV and film firepower if it wanted to challenge Netflix, Amazon, AT&T Inc.
With so many challenges, there’s no guarantee Iger’s latest acquisition will quickly pay dividends. Disney was expected to take on $36 billion in debt to finance the deal, according to analysts. “The Fox culture is very different from the Walt Disney culture, and that could end up being a problem,” said Martin, the analyst. “The cultural integrations are one of the biggest challenges of making this merger work.”
Don't forget the amazing possibility of Disney/Fox crossover series like 'Alien King.' The live-action movie and the ice spectacle versions are going to be intense!
And now we're going to treat the Disneyland workers well and raise their pay with the royalties from those shows.
I look forward to the new Modern Family Land
I hope Disney doesn’t trash those great movies and shows, just like they did for Star Wars