Broadcast-streaming. Disney is in talks with Hearst to sell-off its interest in five European cable channels (History, H2, Crime & Investigation, Blaze and Lifetime) that are part of the larger A+E Networks joint venture between the companies and serve the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Disney last week agreed to divest the channels as a condition of receiving European Commission approval for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox which includes the National Geographic channels. The European condition is one of the final barriers to the Disney acquisition of Fox, which has already been approved in the US on condition that it divests Fox’s 22 regional sports TV stations. If the deal proceeds as expected, it will be interesting to see whether A+E ownership shifts the European priorities of Hearst whose primary business there is currently its London-based magazine-media group, with additional investments in business information and web services. The A+E deal would certainly strengthen the UK’s role as Hearst’s second market after the US.
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Disney to Sell A+E Europe to Hearst
