This 2017 photo of Walt Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, left, and Rupert Murdoch foretold the future of a 2019 Disney/Fox merger.
(Walt Disney Co.)
Disney finalized its $71.3-billion purchase of much of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in March, positioning CEO Bob Iger’s company as an even bigger force in Hollywood. The home of ESPN, ABC, “Star Wars,” Disney+ and most of the Marvel superheroes now owns 20th Century Fox, “The Simpsons” and a controlling stake in Hulu. Job cuts at Fox began almost immediately and continued through the year. Fox News, Fox Sports, the Fox Broadcasting network and the Fox lot itself, however, still belong to Murdoch. In August, CBS and Viacom followed suit, agreeing to merge in a $12-billion deal. It was a coup for Chairwoman Shari Redstone, daughter of ailing Sumner Redstone, as she’d championed a reunion.
