Walt Disney Co. is back at the negotiating table to buy some of 21st Century Fox Inc.'s assets, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 2, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation.
The assets involved in the potential sale reportedly include the Twentieth Century Fox movie and TV studio, the company's stake in Sky plc and India's Star TV, and some U.S. cable networks.
The news report is the latest in a string of deal rumors swirling around 21st Century Fox. Media reports pegged Disney as a potential buyer for most of the company's assets in early November. But subsequent reports, also based on unnamed sources, have brought other names of potential suitors into the mix, including Comcast Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. Sony Corp.' s entertainment unit has also expressed some interest in the deal, according to the Journal report.
The Journal report said that Comcast is still in discussions for the assets. It also said that merger discussions are picking up speed and that Rupert Murdoch and his family, who hold 39% of 21st Century Fox voting shares, could decide on whether to pursue a deal by the end of 2017.
