Walt Disney Co. released more details about how negotiations may play out over its acquisition of Comcast Corp.’s one-third interest in the Hulu streaming service.
Under terms signed in 2019, according to a Bloomberg News report on September 8, Comcast may require Disney to buy its Hulu stake in a transaction valuing the entire business at a minimum of $27.5 billion. Comcast earlier this week said the companies agreed to accelerate the sale process.
Disney said in a filing Friday that if Comcast’s option to sell is exercised in November, Hulu will be appraised at its market value as of September 30.
If they can’t reach an agreement, each company will hire an investment banker to value Hulu. If the two valuations are more than 10 percent apart, the investment banks will pick a third banker to deliver another appraisal. The final value will be the average of the two that are closest together, Disney said.
Meanwhile, according to a report in www.wegotthiscovered.com, Comcast currently owns 33 percent of the streaming service Hulu, and Disney, which owns the remaining share of 67 percent, is looking to buy the entirety of Hulu from Comcast in a move that would largely benefit Disney.
Talks were originally scheduled for January of next year, but Disney and Comcast have moved the date to September 30 in an effort to speed things up.
“It will take a little time for this to play out,” Comcast CEO Brian Roberts shared during the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Investor Conference on September 6, “but both companies wanted to get it behind us so we pulled the date forward.”
Hulu, according to www.wegotthiscovered.com, with its large subscriber base, is an undeniable asset when it comes to winning the overall streaming war, and it makes sense Disney wants it all to itself.
Comcast’s stake was previously valued at $27.5 billion, but Roberts believes its worth is closer to $30 billion since the valuation was made five years ago.