Is Disney Close to Selling ABC?

[TMC]

It seems like Disney is a step ahead of Comcast/NBC Universal (although nothing is official for the latter) by likely dumping the broadcast division in favor of more time and resources being spent in its cable outlets (were most of the money is being made).

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...-arrest/57299/

Who knew federal prosecutors were so good at breaking news? A former Disney administrative assistant and her friend have been arrested for attempting to sell non-public information to investors -- but that may not be the big news. In the complaint (.pdf) that the government released today regarding the action, prosecutors may have inadvertently revealed that Disney may be on the verge of selling its broadcast network ABC.

It's not a huge surprise that Disney is humoring an ABC sale, but it hasn't been reported that it was in "serious and advanced" negotiations. On Monday, for example, the New York Post speculated that Disney might be considering looking for buyers:

Meanwhile, ABC's future in the Mouse House is also not guaranteed, with Disney chief Bob Iger said to be taking a hard look at the network.

"There are no guarantees," he said recently about ABC's future at Disney. A source said the issue is what to do with the accompanying stations.

[Pavan]

No. So this thread will be closing. See Disney's statement:

A Statement from the Walt Disney Company relating to the complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney on May 26 in the Southern District of New York:

The Walt Disney Company has been fully cooperating with this investigation.

The reference in the complaint to conversations regarding the ABC Network were and are false.