What Comcast Buying Fox Instead Of Disney Would Mean

franchises like the X-Men and Avatar movies Disney would become arguably the dominant force in American and international media.

Much has been made of this proposed deal, which would set back Disney $52.4bn. If Disney were to acquire networks like FX, stakes in National Geographic, Hulu, Sky, and various international satellite groups, it would give them a level of power that is near unprecedented, even in today's age of growing media monopolies.

However, that deal may soon be off the table, as Comcast has started a bidding war not only for the acquisition of the Britain based satellite group Sky, but reportedly began discussions to find a way to beat Disney to the punch in acquiring Fox. Comcast already made media history in 2009 when they acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal. They owned 51% of the company until March 2013, when minority shareholder General Electric gave them the remaining stake. Getting control of 21st Century Fox would make Comcast the biggest player in Hollywood, even more so than the mighty Disney.

Nothing has gone through yet and deals like this can take months or even years to get finalized. For now, what we have are two striking possibilities, assuming one of the companies manages to get a deal closed. Either Disney buys Fox or Comcast does. At this point in time, the deal could fall through for both sides, but given what is at stake, it seems highly unlikely.

This Page: The Disney/Fox Deal So Far

What Disney Buying Fox Would Mean

Disney buying Fox is the deal that seems to make the most thematic sense. Given Disney's control over some of the most profitable franchises in modern Hollywood, it's a somewhat sensible suggestion that they would want to complete the set, as it were. Buying Fox's assets would give them control over the remaining Marvel properties they don't yet possess, notably Legion would also come under their sizable umbrella, as would the Avatar franchise (which already has pride of place in Disney thanks to its inclusion as a theme park attraction in Animal Kingdom).

The problem with this is that the chances are we won't see more movies as a result of such a deal. Disney would have less to gain from further competition, even from themselves, so the number of films released every year would probably go down. Why put, say, the new American Horror Story. Murphy noted that his creative freedom could be limited under such a restrictive deal.

A Fox acquisition would also give Disney further control of the streaming market. They currently have 30% shares ownership of Hulu, and the deal would give them majority rule with 60%. Given the company's recent announcements of a Star Wars series and original Disney movies exclusive to the service it would be beneficial for such an endeavor to have a sizable back-catalog of fan faves ready to go on launch day. It would certainly make them a true competitor with Netflix.

The fears go beyond the standard monopoly concerns. Last November, Disney having further power to exact this kind of anti-press mentality is downright chilling. If they end up holding that much force in the industry - with over 40% of the media under their thumb - then what is to stop them from banning journalists from press screenings or events simply because they didn't like a critical piece they wrote?

Disney also exerts immense control over movie theaters when it comes to the releases of their films. For the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Disney demanded a 65% cut of the domestic sales (the typical deal is 55 - 60%) and forced theaters to a four-week hold in each venue. Those who broke that contract would face penalties and have the film removed from their screens. Some indie theater owners have already opposed this move, choosing not to run the films simply because they can't afford to. A Fox acquisition would give Disney further power to push through this oppressively strict level of market control.

Comcast Disney and Fox Deal With Money Bags

What Comcast Buying Fox Would Mean

Reports suggest that Comcast could outbid Disney for Fox with a hefty offer of $60bn. And while it shifts power from Disney, a deal between Fox and Comcast would not be free of such controversies or issues. They are the largest broadcasting and cable TV company in the world, and the second largest pay-TV company after AT&T (who are currently in the process of being acquired by Time Warner, assuming the Department of Justice's lawsuit preventing it fails). On top of that, Comcast are the largest internet provider in America.

Media-wise, they're just as big. Crucially, they own NBCUniversal, meaning they already own one of Hollywood's major players; while they don't own the major titles like Disney does, Universal is not without its billion-dollar-blockbusters, such as the Twilight. Comcast also currently own a minority stake in Hulu, which a Fox bid would give them majority control over. Even if they fail in their bid and Disney wins, they could make it very hard for their competitor to take total control of Hulu.

Where net neutrality falls further under risk, Comcast's growing might in the market would make it tougher for s to fight for an accessible and neutral internet.

The best bets on what will happen in the future are on Disney winning the deal, pending regulatory approval. They stand to gain the most from such a deal and are putting up the biggest fight to get what they want. As history has proven, it is a foolish folly to bet against Disney.

Still, neither option is especially appealing to critics and audiences. Whatever happens, a multi-billion dollar corporation with an already vast grasp of the international media market will own even more of it by the time the decade is over.