Disney has announced it intends to purchase a majority of 21st Century Fox’s assets.
The news comes after a month of reports from The Wall Street Journal and CNBC, who alleged that Fox and Disney were interested in working toward a deal. A press release issued today confirmed Disney would acquire 21st Century Fox today for $52.4 billon in stock.
The deal affirms that Disney will own the rights to the “X-Men, Avatar, The Simpsons, FX Networks and National Geographic,” among other popular entertainment entities. Disney will also acquire 21st Century Fox’s 30 percent stake in Hulu, giving Disney a total stake of 60 percent in the company.
Considering Al Jean's unpleasant experience working for Disney back in the day, it'll be interesting to see whether the shots at them will continue now that The Simpsons will be under their umbrella. Fox obviously took a lot of the potshots on the chin over the years, but Disney might not want to roll with the punches.