Disney Expands Streaming Empire with Hulu Acquisition

In a strategic move to bolster its streaming services, The Walt Disney Company announced that it will acquire Comcast’s $8.6 billion stake in Hulu, solidifying its control over the popular streaming platform. This acquisition, set to be concluded by December 1, 2023, forms a crucial part of Disney’s streaming objectives and aligns with its efforts to bolster subscriber numbers on the Disney+ platform.

Disney’s decision to acquire Comcast’s stake in Hulu aims to advance the company’s streaming objectives, particularly in the face of intensifying competition in the streaming market. With this move, Disney intends to further enhance its subscriber numbers for its Disney+ streaming service, a key player in the highly competitive streaming landscape.

The deal values Hulu at an impressive $27.5 billion, marking a pivotal moment in the streaming industry landscape. However, the exact final price tag might still be subject to evaluation, as Disney and Comcast are currently in an appraisal process to determine Hulu’s market value. Bankers from both sides are assessing Hulu’s equity fair value as of September 30, 2023. If the values calculated by the two parties’ bankers are not within 10% of each other, a third firm will step in to make another estimate, and Hulu’s final valuation will be the average of the two figures closest to each other. Disney anticipates the appraisal process to be completed during the 2024 calendar year.

Under the terms of the transaction, Disney will share 50% of its estimated U.S. tax savings resulting from the acquisition of the Hulu stake with NBCUniversal, with payments expected to be made over a 15-year period. Additionally, Disney will pay NBCUniversal an amount equal to NBCU’s equity ownership percentage of the equity fair value net of the guaranteed purchase price within 45 days of the final determination.

This development follows a previous deal made in 2019 when Disney acquired a majority stake in Hulu, leaving Comcast with a 33% stake in the streaming service. The agreement mandated Disney to buy Comcast’s stake as early as January 2024 or sell its own stake at the fair market value at that time.

Currently, Disney offers Hulu as part of bundled offerings along with its Disney+ and ESPN+ platforms, catering to a wide range of audience preferences.While Hulu’s growth rate has seen a slowdown, with a 4.5% subscriber growth in the second quarter of 2023 compared to 8% in the previous year, industry experts believe the service holds strategic value for Disney. Analysts suggest that integrating Hulu content into a unified streaming experience, combining it with Disney+ and other streaming bundles, could reduce churn and enhance pricing power, crucial elements for scaling streaming revenues against a fixed cost base.

The timing of this acquisition coincides with Disney’s upcoming quarterly earnings report, scheduled for release next week on November 8th. This report will provide crucial insights into the performance of Disney’s cable and streaming television services, especially following the recent challenges faced by its streaming platforms.

In August, Disney+ experienced a decline in subscribers, losing over 10 million users in the last quarter, largely due to market fluctuations in India. Despite this setback, Disney+ still boasts a substantial subscriber base, with 146.1 million subscribers recorded at the end of the second quarter of this year.

In a rapidly evolving market, Disney’s acquisition of Hulu reaffirms its commitment to staying ahead in the streaming wars. As streaming giant Netflix reported a growth in subscribers and experimented with ad-supported offerings, Disney’s move positions it strategically to compete, while the industry grapples with disruptions caused by events such as the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike, potentially affecting the availability of fresh content for streaming platforms.

Kiki Garba.