By Jonathon Dornbush
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the most recent developments regarding the Fox/Disney merger.
For even more on the Disney Fox Deal, be sure to check out how this new deal makes Disney the most powerful film studio around. Or catch up on the X-Men projects that are on hold due to the merger, and the movies and TV shows Disney is expected to get from Fox.
With the deal now set to close tomorrow, the Disney acquisition of much of Fox for over $70 billion will likely mean seismic shifts in the movies, TV, and streaming landscapes.
IGN already examined what the implications of the deal are for the world of film in theaters and online. And while some of those effects are clearly defined — Disney will inherit plenty of Marvel character film rights held by Fox — the deal’s impact on TV could be far more complicated. Read on for IGN’s breakdown of how this potential merger could change how and where you watch some of your favorite shows.
What happens to FOX the broadcast network?
The key thing to know about the deal and how it affects the television landscape is Disney will not now own the FOX broadcasting channel. Disney would only acquire Fox’s television studios, as FCC laws prevent any single company from owning more than one of the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC). Disney already owns ABC.
But that same rule doesn’t apply to cable channels, and so Disney is inheriting a number of Fox’s offshoots, including FX and National Geographic. Disney could presumably keep these channels as is, or decide to integrate their content into already existing Disney networks like Disney XD, A&E, and more.
Disney will also acquire the 39 percent stake Fox has in Sky, the European satellite broadcasting company, as well as international sports outlets like Fox Deportes and Sky Sports.
But the U.S.’ broadcast network landscape won’t lose a channel as a result of this merger. That doesn’t mean the content broadcast on those channels will stay the same, though.
What about my favorite Fox and FX shows?
\r\nAn extension of the X-Men world, Deadpool became an R-Rated pot of gold for Fox last year, helping the studio actively develop and create other X-films like New Mutants, X-Force, and beyond. “,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/deadpool-1513026440552.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/deadpool-1513026440552_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”03″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”FANTASTIC FOUR
\r\nAfter two franchise attempts, Fantastic Four *may* be headed back to Marvel via Disney\u0027s buyout. Folks are still unsure though since FF is currently only co-owned by Fox. Because of the deal Fox made with Constantin Films back during the production of the Fantastic Four Roger Corman B-movie of the \u002790s, these superheroes might not be Fox\u0027s to sell entirely. “,”height”:543,”width”:960,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/f4-1513026437925.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/f4-1513026437925_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”04″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”DIE HARD
\r\nHere\u0027s an interesting one – freakin\u0027 Die Hard. Could this possibly mean we might see John McClane battle terrorists *inside* Disneyland? Well, probably not since it\u0027s doubtful Disney would ever show one of their theme parks as the site of death and dismay, but it\u0027s certainly a fun thing to imagine. “,”height”:563,”width”:1000,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/j31bczr33mlwgh5ifmcgkjbr3z5-1513026443323.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/j31bczr33mlwgh5ifmcgkjbr3z5-1513026443323_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”05″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”ALIENS
\r\nThe Alien space-horror franchise, molded by Ridley Scott and James Cameron, will be a Disney property after the buyout. Crazy, huh? Talk about an Evil Queen.”,”height”:1025,”width”:2048,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/aliens-1513026473380.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/aliens-1513026473380_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”06″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”PREDATOR
\r\nAnd you can\u0027t have the Aliens without the Predators, right? The yin to the Xenomorphs\u0027 yang, the sci-fi action franchise will become part of the House of Mouse. “,”height”:1080,”width”:1920,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/predator-1513026469892.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/predator-1513026469892_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”07″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”AVATAR
\r\nWith four sequels on the horizon, so far removed from 2009\u0027s original, it\u0027s easy to sometimes forget that the first movie has made almost 3 billion dollars. Honestly, Avatar becoming a Disney property feels right. Heck, you can check out the world of Pandora itself at Walt Disney World\u0027s Animal Kingdom theme park right now. “,”height”:1080,”width”:1920,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/avtr-he-bg-03-1513026466067.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/avtr-he-bg-03-1513026466067_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”08″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”PLANET OF THE APES
\r\nThe Apes-verse has been a huge part of Fox\u0027s movie slate for decades – first as a successful, seminal sci-fi franchise in \u002760s and \u002770s, and then again with the current prequel franchise that began back in 2011. Yes, monkey business is good business. Yes, we know monkeys are different than apes…we know…nevermind.”,”height”:759,”width”:1350,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/maxresdefault-35-1513026452113.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/maxresdefault-35-1513026452113_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:”09″,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”KINGSMAN
\r\nThe over-the-top action-filled film world of the clandestine secret service agency The Kingsman, which just saw the release of its second film, The Golden Circle, this year will become part of Disney. “,”height”:800,”width”:1200,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/kgc-012-gallery-image0-1513026430271.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/kgc-012-gallery-image0-1513026430271_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:10,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”HOME ALONE
\r\nHere\u0027s a film franchise that feels right at home with Disney – Home Alone! Though if they were to make any more films they\u0027d have to somehow get around the fact that everyone has cell phones now. How about Wet Bandits: Origins? “,”height”:1027,”width”:1876,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/home-alone-kevin-and-the-wet-bandits-1513026435137.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/home-alone-kevin-and-the-wet-bandits-1513026435137_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:11,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
\r\nMuseum attractions come alive and create mirth and mischief at night for Ben Stiller\u0027s graveyard shift guard in the successful Night at the Museum films. Maybe, in a new film, he could patrol the Hall of Presidents and other Disney attractions. “,”height”:1080,”width”:1920,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/976cfb24f7d2acdf5c5571774ed1645d-night-at-the-museum-1468825132-1513026424693.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/976cfb24f7d2acdf5c5571774ed1645d-night-at-the-museum-1468825132-1513026424693_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:12,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”ICE AGE
\r\nEver want to see the cranky mammoth, the – um – cranky sabertooth, the clueless sloth, and that squirrel who keeps destroying the planet intermingle with Disney characters? Well, the day is finally going to arrive! “,”height”:748,”width”:1330,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/12\/ice-age-6-1-lg-1513105677509.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/12\/ice-age-6-1-lg-1513105677509_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:13,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (and the TV Whedonverse)
\r\nSwitching over to TV now, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, along with Joss Whedon\u0027s other television shows like Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse are all 21st Century Fox properties. But not for long once this deal gets done. New owners could mean remakes\/remodels of the old shows or, perhaps, sequel shows and\/or movies.”,”height”:545,”width”:970,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/4ba870232b6d506fce20d5ce9a95d313-1513026418288.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/4ba870232b6d506fce20d5ce9a95d313-1513026418288_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:14,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”THE X-FILES
\r\nA huge TV and film property that\u0027s been absolutely synonymous with Fox is The X-Files. It\u0027ll be weird to think of Mulder and Scully as being Disney-owned, but we want to believe this will all turn out for the best.\r\n”,”height”:800,”width”:1600,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/landscape-1470814885-the-x-files-key-art-1513026454773.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/landscape-1470814885-the-x-files-key-art-1513026454773_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:15,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”24
\r\nLike Die Hard, it\u0027s sort of weird to wonder how the hyper-violent 24 TV franchise will exist within the structure of Disney, but not everything is going to be tinkered with. Disney\u0027s also trying to just bolster its streaming catalogue. “,”height”:867,”width”:1300,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/24-1493134814-1513026462248.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/24-1493134814-1513026462248_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:16,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”THE SIMPSONS
\r\nThe Simpsons, and fellow Matt Groening series Futurama, becoming part of Disney is huge news. The Simpsons comes with a vast animated world, tons of pop-culture cred, and ample opportunities for theme park possibilities. “,”height”:900,”width”:1600,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/simpsons-1513026448662.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/simpsons-1513026448662_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:17,”albumTotalCount”:18},{“caption”:”FAMILY GUY
\r\nPopular in its own right, but edgier than its Sunday night sister-series The Simpsons, Seth MacFarlane\u0027s Family Guy (plus American Dad! and The Orville) is expected to shift over to Disney post-buyout. “,”height”:1350,”width”:2400,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/familyguy-1513026446127.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2017\/12\/11\/familyguy-1513026446127_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Fox Movie and TV Show Properties Headed to Disney”,”relativePosition”:18,”albumTotalCount”:18}]’
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One important thing to keep in mind — not all of the programming airing on a channel is also produced by the company owning that channel. The 20th Century Fox TV production company, which Disney will acquire, produces This Is Us on NBC and Modern Family on ABC, for example.
Disney will not automatically inherit every show airing on the Fox broadcasting network, but instead only the productions developed by 20th Century Fox and its other production houses. So, for example, Disney will remain unconcerned with Gotham, a WB production airing on the Fox network, which will be owned by the spun-off Fox company.
Among other TV assets Disney would acquire would be the other studios in Fox’s stable, including Fox 21, which produces Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, among other shows.) And as Disney would be acquiring FX as well, this deal would include FX productions, which makes It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Americans, and more.
Another major entry in Fox’s production houses is Fox Animation, of course, which includes The Simpsons and Family Guy among many other series.
And there’s of course a massive back catalog of television shows Disney would now inherit to air and stream as it pleases. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, MASH, 24, and more series would all now fall under the Disney umbrella.
Since Disney now owns all of these series, they could continued to air on Fox for the foreseeable future, though Disney could also take all of the Fox productions and shift them to owned stations like FX, ABC, or any streaming service Disney focuses on. Speaking of…
What’s going to happen to Hulu?
When Hulu began, it represented a unique partnership among competing broadcast networks at a time when the future of streaming platforms was less clear cut. ABC, Fox, and NBC all have stakes in the service, but this acquisition would give Disney a majority stake in the platform. (Additionally, a recent report indicates that Disney is seeking to buy WarnerMedia and AT&T’s portion of Hulu, which would give it a 70% ownership stake.)
Now, this opens up some opportunities for Disney, which is planning to launch its own streaming platform, Disney+, in 2019. Disney could seek to dominate Hulu and simply transform it into the company’s planned platform, inheriting millions of subscribers from the start.
Disney could also use Hulu to continue succeeding off the streaming of other networks (so long as NBC remains involved), while also offering slightly more adult fare than those subscribing to a Disney service might expect. For those looking for programming along the lines of The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu can still exist on its own, bolstered by a shared library of some Disney films and shows. A new, Disney-only service can then be launched separately that appears an all-ages audience — Disney may not want to mix, say, old seasons of It’s Always Sunny on the same service as a Monsters, Inc. or High School Musical series.
Of course, carrying two streaming services, plus inherited ones like FX+, might be too costly a venture and result in a split user base. Hulu’s future, as a result, remains uncertain, but it can certainly serve as a launching pad for Disney’s imprint in the streaming world.
While the acquisition’s effects on film are a little more clear cut in certain regards, the TV side of this Disney-Fox merger is far more multifaceted. Inheriting a number of production companies with series distributed across a number of channels gives Disney plenty of opportunity to shift around its new combined business. Changes could lead to new homes for beloved series, business as usual for others, or the shuttering of some completely if Disney decides to consolidate its efforts.
However Disney decides to proceed, be sure to stay tuned to IGN for more about the merger and its consequences.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.