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Disney, Fox Announce $52.4B Deal; Bob Iger Staying Through '21

The “blockbuster” deal between Disney and 21st Century Fox was announced this morning, with the acquisition “creating an entertainment giant.” Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger said of the $52.4B deal, "We're going to launch an ESPN direct service in 2018 and a Disney branded service in 2019. This clearly will jump-start those efforts, give us more content, more producing capabilities for those services." Iger also noted he is “going to stay till the end of 2021.” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos said, “You just can't quit Disney. I think this is the third time you were supposed to go.” Laughing, Iger replied, “I think I lost track.”

Iger said Fox shareholders “will own roughly 24-25% of Disney” after the deal is approved. He said of the deal passing government scrutiny, “We're hoping that the government takes a look at this from a consumer point of view. … This should be viewed as a positive combination from a consumer perspective, and because of that, we hope the regulators will look at it kindly” (“GMA,” ABC, 12/14). 

Iger said of persistent rumors about a potential political run, "I'm sticking around (at Disney) until the end of 2021, so you do the math" (TWITTER.com, 12/14).

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