"[16] Rumors of a nearing deal continued on December 5, with additional reports suggesting the FSN regional sports networks would be included in the sale (assets that would likely be aligned with Disney's ESPN division).

Donald Trump congratulated Murdoch for the Disney–Fox deal while attacking AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner, particularly over the ownership of CNN, which he frequently criticized due to alleged bias.

[35] On June 12, AT&T was given approval by District Judge Richard J. Leon to acquire Time Warner, easing concerns Comcast had regarding whether government regulators would block their bid for Fox.

CEO Brian L. Roberts said "I'd like to congratulate Bob Iger and the team at Disney and commend the Murdoch family and Fox for creating such a desirable and respected company.

[53] There were reports on August 9 that Viacom CEO Bob Bakish wanted to license its television ad targeting tech to the entire industry, starting with Fox.

[57] Disney announced on October 8, 2018, 21st Century Fox's top television executives would join the company, including Peter Rice, Gary Knell, John Landgraf, and Dana Walden.

[59] On October 10, it was reported that the new, post-merger organizational structure of "New Fox" would be implemented by January 1, 2019, ahead of the closure of the Disney sale (which was still expected to occur during the first half of 2019).

[79] Mexico's telecom regulator Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) approved the deal on March 11, 2019, under the condition that Disney agreed to sell the country's Fox Sports within six months.

[134] An exception to the new policy was made for The Rocky Horror Picture Show due to that film's traditional midnight screenings and holding the Guinness world record for longest original theatrical release.

The rebranding came as Disney chose to use the Star brand name for non-family and mature-oriented programming with its forthcoming hub on Disney+ in several international markets as well as the launch of streaming service Star+ in Latin America.

[157] On April 27, Disney announced that most of the Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific linear channels would be shut down in two phases in October 2021 for Hong Kong and Southeast Asian countries and January 2022 for Taiwan, respectively.

[172] Between September and October 2023, the company held preliminary talks with Reliance Industries, billionaire Gautam Adani and Kalanithi Maran, owner of the Sun Group, for a potential sale of its streaming and linear television assets.

As part of the deal, Viacom18 would be merged into Disney Star with Disney holding a 36.84% stake in the combined entity, which would bring together assets such as linear television entertainment channels StarPlus, Colors TV and the Star Gold Network, sports channels Star Sports and Sports18 and the streaming services JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar with Nita Ambani serving as the chairperson of the joint venture, with Uday Shankar serving as vice chairperson with the deal giving 16.34% to Reliance and 46.82% to Viacom18[179] and with the deal being expected to close sometime in late 2024 or early 2025 pending regulatory approval,[180][181] and was later reported that Disney was in talks with Reliance to sell its 30% share in Tata Play.

[184] On May 14, 2024, It was reported the deal between Disney and Reliance was approved by National Company Law Tribunal, with the JioCinema streaming service being moved to the Digital18 unit as part of the merger.

Some argued the operation would still leave many competitors around since Disney may compete with Netflix in the online streaming market with Disney+ and Hulu in equal conditions with its newly acquired properties.

Opponents countered that these arguments do not hold much weight due to Disney's powerful box office and stock market shares, its practices and its purchase of Fox's many assets.

[190] On November 3, 2017, Disney banned the Los Angeles Times from attending press screenings of its films in retaliation for the paper's coverage of their political influence in Anaheim, California in September of that year.

"[195] John Roper, the general manager of the Phoenix Theatre in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, said that Disney/Fox had him worried about even stricter rules in the future, stating, "It's not good for any type of industry when a company grows that large.

A hypothetical Disney-owned theater chain that prioritized Disney films for its screens would squeeze an industry that's already struggling to offer a breadth of options to consumers, thanks to the overwhelming success of family-friendly brand-name blockbusters.

"[201] American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka lambasted the deal and called on federal regulators to "fully investigate" the merger.

He was concerned about his smaller subscription television constituents having to negotiate multichannel deals with a behemoth that combines Fox's regional sports networks with ESPN and its cadre of collegiate-conference-focused RSNs, as well as the majority stake in Hulu: The Disney-Fox marriage not only will create one of the world's largest entertainment conglomerates but will give the combined company control of critical video programming that can be bundled together to harm consumers in local and national markets.

Some felt that a Disney-owned Sky UK would be most damaging to its pay-TV competitors since it has invested in content to cross-sell television with mobile services, in a bid to squeeze more out of customers.

Disney and Fox have spent decades profiting from the oligopolistic control that the six major media conglomerates have exercised over the entertainment industry, often at the expense of the creators who power their television and film operations.

"[212] The potential acquisition of Fox by Disney caused concern within the entertainment industry that smaller media companies, including Viacom, CBS Corporation, Lionsgate, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), would need to consolidate or be sold in order to remain competitive.

Murphy cited the Disney–Fox deal as the main reason for departure, arguing that his freedom under Disney might be severely limited in creating new, risk-taking content.

[214] Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations expressed hope that the merger would force creativity in other studios like Paramount, which might focus on smaller-budget films knowing that it could not compete with Walt Disney (after the Fox acquisition) in making big-budget blockbusters.

[215] Viacom CEO Bob Bakish has stated that the Disney–Fox deal provides a "very real opportunity" to hire new executive and creative talent at Paramount and other studios amid the "dislocation associated with change of ownership" at Disney and Fox.

He said in a statement that "Disney's proposed purchase of 21st Century Fox threatens to put control of even more television, movie, and news content into the hands of a single media giant.

Adding Fox, which controls portions of the Marvel universe (X-Men, Deadpool) and the Avatar franchise, would enable Disney to gain unprecedented market power.

[189]In response to the Disney–Fox deal, analyst Andy Hargreaves of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. downgraded Fox's stock from overweight to Sector Weight with no assigned price target.