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US: Senator wants hearing for Disney-Fox deal

By  |  December 17, 2017

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), the top Democrat member of the Senate’s antitrust panel, on Friday, December 15, urged the subcommittee to hold a hearing on Walt Disney Co’s plan to purchase the majority of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s businesses.

“I’m concerned about the impact of this transaction on American consumers,” Klobuchar said in a statement.

Disney struck a deal to buy film, television and several other businesses from Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc for US$52.4 billion in an all-stock agreement. The deal includes a plan to add Fox’s 22 regional sports networks to Disney’s own sports network ESPN.

Five antitrust experts said that they believe the deal will likely win approval from the US Justice Department, which is the regulator expected to review the purchase since they have reviewed other content deals, although the agency may require asset sales or conditions.

Full Content: Reuters

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