The European Commission has approved the proposed acquisition of parts of Fox by Disney, but the decision is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Disney.
Disney committed to divest its interest in all factual channels it controls in the EEA, namely: History, H2, Crime & Investigation, Blaze and Lifetime channels. These channels are currently controlled by A+E Television Networks, which is a joint venture between Disney and Hearst.
The commitments fully remove the overlap between Disney’s and Fox’s activities in the wholesale supply of factual channels in the EEA.
Disney and Fox are two of the six major Hollywood film studios. Both companies are also providers of TV channels such as the Disney Channel, the Fox channels, the National Geographic channels and the History channels. In the European Economic Area (EEA), Disney and Fox are active as providers of audio-visual content and TV channels to TV broadcasters and distributors.
The proposed transaction would combine Disney and parts of Fox, including its film and television studios and its cable and international television businesses. The Fox Broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network are not part of the transaction.