The Walt Disney Company announced today that it will acquire the 33% stake in Hulu held by Comcast/NBC Universal, following Comcast’s November 1st exercise to pull the arrangement between the two companies.
What’s Happening:
- The acquisition of Comcast’s stake in Hulu at fair market value will further Disney’s streaming objectives.
- Under the terms of the put/call arrangement, by December 1st, Disney expects it will pay NBCU approximately $8.61 billion, representing NBCU’s percentage of the $27.5 billion guaranteed floor value for Hulu that was set when the companies entered into their agreement in 2019 minus the anticipated outstanding capital call contributions payable by NBCU to Disney.
- Under the appraisal process agreed to by Disney and Comcast, Hulu’s equity fair value will be assessed as of September 30th, 2023, and if the value is ultimately determined to be greater than the guaranteed floor value, Disney will pay NBCU its percentage of the difference between the equity fair value and the guaranteed floor value.
- While the timing of the appraisal process is uncertain, Disney anticipates it should be completed during the 2024 calendar year.
- Disney has had a small stake in Hulu for many years, but got 60% control when they acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019. WarnerMedia then sold their stake in Hulu back to the company, giving Disney 67% and Comcast 33%.
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