Disney, Comcast and Fox: deal frenzy in US media

Emboldened by a new court ruling, Comcast is chasing Ruper Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. Can it beat Disney to the prize? Alice Gråhns reports.

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Disney wants Murdoch's TV and films

Corporate America has "entered an anything goes' merger environment", says Tara Lachapelle on Bloomberg View. A judge has given the green light to the $109bn merger of AT&T and Time Warner, which will create a media giant marrying AT&T's mobile, cable and satellite TV business with Time Warner's portfolio of assets, including HBO, Warner Brothers and CNN. The US government had fretted that the tie-up would reduce competition, but not only did the judge disagree he also imposed no conditions at all on the two companies. As a result, cable giant Comcast and Disney "have each been emboldened to do their own momentous transaction". They are eyeing up the same target: Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, which has "the last big bundle of TV and film assets for the taking".

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Alice grew up in Stockholm and studied at the University of the Arts London, where she gained a first-class BA in Journalism. She has written for several publications in Stockholm and London, and joined MoneyWeek in 2017.