Rumor Has It: Disney Interested In Buying Netflix

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Rumor Has It: Disney Interested In Buying Netflix

In the world of media companies, the water cooler is always a busy place — and it’s been hopping lately over rumors that Walt Disney Co. is thinking of buying Netflix.

Disney — not just a theme park giant but also the owner of movie studios, cable networks, and broadcast network ABC, among other things — is reportedly considering snapping up another bit of media, MarketWatch reports.

The news comes on the heels of reports that the house of mouse is working on a deal to buy Twitter.

Recent reports that Disney wants to pop Netflix in its shopping basket have sent the streaming company’s shares upward, with a 4.1% increase in active trading on Monday, MarketWatch notes.

But if there is a discussion going on, Netflix isn’t commenting, saying the company doesn’t weigh in on rumors. A Disney spokesperson wasn’t available for comment to MarketWatch, either.

One analyst says a possible Netflix buy wouldn’t be easy to call ahead of time: R.W. Baird analyst William Power wrote in a note to clients that Netflix has been the subject of “recent M&A rumors,” and “whether Disney, Apple or someone else, Netflix could become a target.”

If Disney does decide to snap up Netflix, it’s more than likely that it would be forced to give up its 30% stake in another streaming giant, Hulu, which was launched in 2007 as a joint venture from Disney, Fox, and NBC (now Comcast). Fox and Comcast both own 30%, with newcomer Time Warner scooping up 10% ownership in August.

Source: Consumerist

[Bandit]

They also want to buy Twitter, which is rumored to be put up for sale this week. I don't like the idea of Disney owning either.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

If they buy Twitter, I guess that means all of the porn will disappear off it.

[Skynet]

This could be good for all the Marvel stuff though. It'd be awesome if Agent Carter came back because of this possibility.

[Matisfaction]

I read somewhere that Sky were pretty annoyed with WWE over the network., so it would be interesting to see what happens with Disney as Sky seem to have all the Disney content atm,