Shares of the Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA) soared on Monday morning after reports of reignited buyout talks between Disney and its fellow media giant surfaced.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Disney reentered negotiations with Fox in order to purchase some of the company’s biggest assets over the weekend. According to people familiar with the negotiations, Disney’s focus is on the company’s TV and movie studio.
The parent company of the struggling ESPN has also honed in on some of Fox’s U.S. cable networks, as well as international media outlets—such as U.K. TV powerhouse Sky PLC (OTC:SKYAY) , of which FOXA owns roughly 40%.
Left out of any possible deal between Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox are the main Fox broadcast network, Fox News, and its sports network, FS1.
Talks between the two media powers started a few weeks ago. However, a deal to purchase some of Fox’s most notable assets could not be reached as the two sides were said to have been unable to agree on a price.
According to the Journal, Twenty-First Century Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and his family expect to make a decision on if they will go after a deal to sell assets by the end of the year. Murdoch and his family hold 39% of Twenty-First Century Fox’s voting shares.
Shares of FOXA climbed over 4% on Monday to hit a new 52-week intraday trading high of $33.60 per share. Disney saw its stock price pop nearly 6% to touch $111.32 per share.
Before today’s gains, shares of Twenty-First Century Fox had climbed nearly 15% in 2017, while Disney stock was up only 1% since the start of the year.
The discussion between Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox comes during changing times in the media landscape. The rise of streaming and cord cutting has forced a lot of shakeups throughout the industry, and could possibly lead to more mergers and buyouts.
Shares of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) also surged 4.41% on Monday as the internet and media giant is also reportedly linked to a possible Twenty-First Century Fox deal. On top of that, Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) are said to be in the running for some of FOXA’s TV assets.
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Walt Disney Company (The) (DIS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report
Sony Corp Ord (SNE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Comcast Corporation (CMCSA): Free Stock Analysis Report
Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (FOXA): Free Stock Analysis Report
British Sky Broadcasting Group (LON:SKYB) PLC (SKYAY): Free Stock Analysis Report
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