OFFICIAL: The Walt Disney Company purchases 20th Century Fox

[stevearino]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/b...-fox-deal.html

Hello Out There From Disney Land,

It's OFFICIAL!!! Earlier this morning, The Walt Disney Company made a deal with 20th Century Fox for Disney to purchase the 20th Century Fox Studios and its subsidiaries.

As part of the deal, Rupert Murdoch (Fox's Prior Owner) will retain ownership of the FOX Television Network as well as the FOX News Channel as well as all FOX Sports Channels.

Among the Classic FOX Films and TV Shows now owned by Disney for all Eternity include (but not limited to) the following:

1. Avatar (20th Century Fox) -- Directed by James Cameron, "Avatar" (and its impending sequels) was a huge hit for FOX, earning no less than $237 Billion in the U.S. Alone.

2. The Simpsons (Gracie Films & 20th Century Fox Television) -- Created by Matt Groening, "The Simpsons" began life as a series of sketches on the short-lived FOX Variety Show "The Tracey Ullman Show" (another property now owned by Disney for all Eternity). FOX's longest-running cartoon, "The Simpsons" will be celebrating 30 years on air next Fall, having debuted as a regular series on December 17, 1989 and airing weekly Sunday nights since January 14, 1990.

3. Rescue 911 (CBS Productions & MTM Enterprises, Inc.) -- Hosted by William Shatner, "Rescue 911" was a joint venture between CBS Productions (now known as CBS Television Studios, a subsidiary of Paramount Domestic Television) & MTM Enterprises, Inc. (folded into 20th Century Fox Television in 1998). Originally airing on the CBS Television Network from 1989-1996, "Rescue 911" was a popular Medical Drama that had actors re-enacting actual 911 Rescue Operations. Disney (as Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution) now owns syndication and broadcast rights to "Rescue 911," with Paramount Home Entertainment (operating as CBS Home Entertainment) I believe owning DVD and International Rights, with DVD rights a huge guess.

4. Doogie Howser, M.D. (Steven Bochco Productions & 20th Century Fox Television) -- Created by Steven Bochco, "Doogie Howser, M.D." originally aired on the ABC Television Network from September 19, 1989 - March 24, 1993, spanning 4 seasons of 97 half-hour episodes. A Hospital Drama, "Doogie Howser" starred Neil Patrick Harris as the titular character of Dr. Douglas Howser, a teenage Medical Prodigy who, as the opening credits suggested, whizzed by high school in 9 weeks, graduated from Princeton at age 10, AND earned his Medical Degree at age 14. At the start of the series, Douglas was a 2nd-year resident at Los Angeles's Eastman Medical Center, where his colleagues included, among them, Dr. Jack McGuire (Mitchell Anderson), a fellow resident; Nurse Curly Spaulding (Kathryn Layng); and Dr. Ben Canfield (Larry Pressman), the Hospital Chief of Services. Like all teenagers, however, Douglas still lived with his parents: dad David (James B. Sikking), also a doctor, and mom Katherine (Belinda Montgomery), a typical '80s Housewife. Aspiring filmmaker Vinnie Delpino (Max Casella) served as Douglas's best friend who climbed up Douglas's window to share with Douglas the latest average teen news that Douglas so missed--and also served as comic relief for when things got too serious on "Doogie Howser" (though to be fair, at the start of the series, while Neil Patrick Harris, now age 44, was 16 at the start of the series, Max Casella, in real life, was age 23 at the start of the series). In January 1993, midway through its 4th season, ABC abruptly canceled "Doogie Howser" due to poor ratings, leaving creator Steven Bochco to have, at series end, Douglas resign from Eastman and go with Vinnie to Rome, Italy for a year. Though not necessarily based on a true story, the character of "Doogie Howser" was, however, based on a real person, a young man who, as a teenager, earned his real-life Medical Degree; unlike the title character on TV as portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris, the real-life "Doogie Howser" (as I'll refer to him) DID NOT use his M.D. to practice Medicine, but rather to attend Post-Grad School, eventually becoming a Cancer Researcher. And besides, even if he, in reality, wanted to Practice Medicine, he'd be legally UNINSURABLE in the event of a Medical Malpractice lawsuit or any other lawsuit for that matter. In the years since, reruns of "Doogie Howser" have aired on Nickelodeon (Australia only), Hallmark Channel, and the Discovery Family Channel (formerly The Hub) and are now airing weekends on Antenna TV. "Doogie Howser, M.D." was produced by Steven Bochco Productions for 20th Century Fox Television and, as of today, is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television Distribution.

5. Evening Shade (Mozark Productions & MTM Enterprises, Inc.) -- Created by Burt Reynolds, "Evening Shade" originally aired on the CBS Television Network from September 21, 1990 - May 23, 1994, spanning 4 seasons of 98 half-hour episodes. Reynolds based the show on his real-life experiences as a college football star at Florida State University in Tallahassee and his view of what might have been had he not become a successful actor and movie star and been a pro footballer instead. Reynolds was re-named Wood Newton, who in the series returned to his rural hometown of Evening Shade, Arkansas to coach the local high-school football team, the Evening Shade Mules, who at the series' beginning had not won a game in 2 years. Wood's home life consisted of his wife of 16 years, Ava Evans (Marilu Henner), and their 3 children: teenager Taylor (Jay R. Ferguson), the high school's football quarterback; and youngsters Molly (Candy Hutson) and Will (Jacob Parker), while other residents of the town included Dr. Harlan Elldridge (Charles Durning), the town Physician; Harlan's wife, Merleen (Ann Wedgeworth); and Wood's assistant football coach, the wimpy Math teacher Herman Stiles (Mike Jeter). Since its cancellation, reruns of "Evening Shade" have been syndicated via such cable networks as Freeform (then known as The Family Channel) and Antenna TV, the latter channel of which "Evening Shade" can be seen Sunday nights at 8:30 P.M. ET / PT. Disney-ABC Domestic Television, for all perpetuity, now owns Broadcast and TV rights of "Evening Shade," while DVD rights will remain owned by CBS Home Entertainment.

6. St. Elsewhere (MTM Enterprises, Inc.) -- Created by Bruce Paltrow, "St. Elsewhere" originally aired on the NBC Television Network from October 26, 1982 - May 25, 1988, spanning 6 seasons of 137 hour-long episodes. A Hospital Drama, "St. Elsewhere" centered on the staff and patients of the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders) served as the Hospital Chief of Services to a group of Residential Surgeons, among them Dr. Phil Chandler (Denzel Washington), the unsure of himself Physician; Dr. Wayne Fiscus (Howie Mandel), the comic-relief character; and Dr. Victor Ehrlich (Ed Begley, Jr.), a recent Med School graduate and Protege of Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels). Its final original episode was one of the most memorable in television History. Among other notable events: Dr. Craig quit and relocated to Cleveland to support the career of his wife Ellen (Bonnie Bartlett, real-life wife to William Daniels); Westphall, after an 8-month Absence, returned to the Hospital to work; Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd), after a series-long battle with Liver Cancer, died of a Massive Stroke; and the entire 6-year saga of "St. Elsewhere" was revealed to be the figment of the imagination of Westphall's severely Autistic son, Tommy (Chad Allen). After the revelation, Westphall was revealed to actually be a Construction Worker, while Auschlander returned to Earth as Westphall's own widower father, Daniel. Westphall, in the show's real life, was also a widower. The reason behind "St. Elsewhere" being cancelled by NBC wasn't ratings, but rather due to MTM wanting more money than NBC could afford to continue making the show. In the years since, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" have continued to flourish in both Syndication Heaven and on various cable networks--most notably Nickelodeon (where "St. Elsewhere" aired as part of its Nick at Nite Lineup from April 29, 1996 - July 4, 1997) and TV Land (where it aired from April 29, 1996 - October 1, 2000). I should point out that reruns of "St. Elsewhere" originally joined Nick at Nite on April 29, 1996 as part of the all-night sneak peek launch of TV Land (then Nick at Nite's TV Land), after which reruns would air weekday afternoons on TV Land through October 1, 2000 and Saturday nights on Nick at Nite from May 4, 1996 - July 6, 1996 as part of a weekly sampler of shows known as Nick at Nite's TV Land Sampler (where many TV Land shows from its inaugural 1996 lineup, e.g. "Sonny & Cher," "Ed Sullivan" and "Mannix," among them, also pulled double duty on Nick at Nite). Reruns of "St. Elsewhere" would appear for the final time on Nick at Nite on July 4, 1997 as part of the simulcast TV Land/Nick at Nite Greatest Episodes Marathon culled that year by TV Guide Magazine.

These 6 FOX Properties and more are now in the eternal hands of The Walt Disney Company.

[stevea]

Wonder if Disney Channel will pick up the Simpsons reruns. I assume Fox net still has the rights to new episodes.

[TMC]

The Simpsons predicted Disney’s ownership of 21st Century Fox nearly 20 years ago
A Nov. 8, 1998 episode of the Fox animated series showed 20th Century Fox as “A Division of Walt Disney Co.”

Disney buys much of 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion, including The Simpsons, Modern Family and This Is Us

Fox’s TV division is one of the most prolific content producers, as The New York Times notes, and the deal means that Disney will acquire ownership of shows like This Is Us, The Simpsons, American Horror Story, Homeland, New Girl, The Americans and Modern Family. “Disney hopes that the Fox television juggernaut can supercharge its ambitions by producing original series for the services and providing access to a catalog of older offerings,” reports The Times. “Fox would also contribute its stake in Hulu, the streaming service that shows ABC content and original programming like The Handmaid’s Tale, giving Disney a majority share.” The deal will also give ESPN Fox’s regional sports networks, including the New York Yankees-carrying YES Network, which will bolster ESPN, in addition to FX and the National Geographic Channel.

ALSO:

• Rupert Murdoch will continue to run the Fox broadcast network, FS1 and Fox News Channel
  With Disney obtaining a majority stake in Hulu, what is the future of the streaming service?

The Simpsons boss on 1998 Disney prediction: "I predict people will make far too much of this mere coincidence”
Showrunner Al Jean played down the gag from a November 1998 Simpsons episode showing that Disney owned 20th Century Fox.

Homer Simpson strangles Micky Mouse to “welcome” Disney
The Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks reacted to this morning's Disney deal with 21st Century Fox by posting an image of Homer strangling Micky Mouse “with respect (he’s a lot older than we are).” ALSO: The Simpsons has President Trump trying to bribe Robert Mueller.

[James28]

Hey, since a mega-merger usually means units of a conglomerate ending up defunct, which units of 21st Century Fox would realistically shut down as a result of their merger with The Walt Disney Company?

[visaman666]

Fox News is being spun off in a new company.

[TMC]

The Simpsons has mocked Disney for 28 years, so what happens next?
As Peter Allen Clark notes, The Simpsons under Disney ownership could mean a wide range of things, including the possibility of the classic animated series joining Hulu. “Oh, and The Simpsons has always really despised Disney,” he adds. “You can't forget that. But on the other hand, Disney might be a little disappointed that The Simpsons has only had ONE movie. Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 basically to make more Star Wars. Who's to say that they aren't interested in exploring the vast Simpsons universe and creating a bevy of annual movies. This may be a good or bad thing for fans. Maybe people would love to see a procedural cop show starring Chief Wiggum, a super-dark Moe Szyslak movie, or a Milhouse Vah Houten college romp.”

ALSO:

• Disney’s 21st Century deal will help it better compete with streamers Netflix and Amazon
  What Netflix could lose if the Disney deal goes through
  Animator Don Hertzfeldt reminds Disney it now owns his weird Simpsons intro
  Disney acquiring Fox Sports Regional Networks gives ESPN a massive amount of new content
  How is the streaming landscape affected?

[simmytbone]

I wonder does Disney still owns the Power Rangers Franchise?

Not to mention, I wonder does this mean that Disney now owns Marvel Comics along with the X-Men?

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by simmytbone

I wonder does Disney still owns the Power Rangers Franchise?

Not to mention, I wonder does this mean that Disney now owns Marvel Comics along with the X-Men?

Disney owns Marvel, but not Power Rangers. The Power Rangers are now once again owned by creator Haim Saban.

[MrCleveland]

I won't doubt this will be Family Guy in the 17th Season!...

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by visaman666

Fox News is being spun off in a new company.

Oh good more BS news crap......

[TMC]

FX could be a victim of the Disney-21st Century Fox merger

“FX owns one of the most prestigious track records in all of cable,” says Steven Zeitchik, yet “no one seems to know where it will fall” in the aftermath of the Disney-21st Century Fox consolidation. FX won 18 Emmys last year, the most-ever for a basic cable channel. “But it is also a niche channel that rarely scores more than a few million viewers for its shows and regularly engages in the kind of critic- and award-friendly material Disney has shown little appetite for,” says Zeitchik. On the one hand, FX’s identity for upscale and prestigious shows and its relationship with highly regarded showrunners like Ryan Murphy may help Disney compete with Netflix. On the other hand, there’s a chance FX can lose its identity as Disney seeks shows with more mass appeal. “FX has been responsible for some really great television, but these are shows that, relatively speaking, don’t get a lot of viewers,” Zeitchik quotes cable expert Cory Barker as saying. “And it seems everything Disney continues to do is move toward its big-property, profit-maximization strategy.” Barker adds: “It’s hard to see where FX fits in.”

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by Dude111

Oh good more BS news crap......

Which I'm fed up with, and have ever been lately!

[TMC]

One proposal that I've heard is that Disney should use the ABC Studios name just for ABC shows and the TCF TV name for shows on other networks. The following shows would change labels.

Moving to ABC Studios:

• Modern Family
  Fresh Off the Boat
  Speechless (currently a Fox/ABC production, would solely be ABC now)

Moving to TCF TV:

• Criminal Minds
  Code Black
  The Amazing Race
  The Marvel shows on Netflix (which would mean Daredevil returns home, sort of)

[TMC]

FX boss isn’t worried about the Disney merger: “We have what they want”
FX Networks CEO John Landgraf said at the TV press tour that Disney CEO Bob Iger told him he’s a fan of FX and its shows. “The oddness that (FX) is so different from Disney’s brand is a good thing. It means that what we do and expertise that we have doesn’t exist currently inside that company,” said Landgraf.

[James28]

I heard that "New Fox" Corporation will retain ownership of the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Century City after the Disney acquisition of Fox production properties is complete. Will the combined Disney-20th Century Fox studios be allowed to produce future films and TV shows within the Fox backlot, or will they no longer be allowed to do so, and all of their future productions will be at the Walt Disney Studio Lot in Burbank?