Disney Acquires Full Ownership of Hulu for Less Than Comcast’s Asking Price

The back-and-forth battle for control of Hulu has finally come to an end, with Disney agreeing to pay Comcast an additional $439 million to secure full ownership of the popular streaming service. This resolution puts an end to a year and a half dispute over the final purchase price. Disney had initially paid $8.6 billion for Comcast’s 33 percent stake and argued that they did not owe anything beyond that amount, while Comcast claimed Disney owed an additional $5 billion. The two companies brought in a third-party appraiser to settle the dispute, and the deal is set to close by July 24.

Disney’s CEO, Robert A. Iger, expressed excitement about the complete ownership of Hulu, stating that it will allow for a deeper integration of Hulu’s entertainment content with Disney+ and for bundled sales with a new ESPN streaming service planned for launch in 2025. Meanwhile, Comcast acknowledged Hulu as a great starting point for their streaming endeavors and wished Disney success in their future endeavors. Comcast has shifted its focus to its primary streaming service, Peacock, which has 41 million subscribers and is being expanded with sports content to drive ad sales and subscriptions, even though it is currently not profitable.