Comcast Reportedly Considering Selling Hulu Stake to Disney
With the streaming service Hulu down to just two owners, one may emerge with an 100% stake.
A new CNBC report indicates that Comcast is considering selling its minority share to majority owner Disney. The publication's sources say the two companies are holding talks and Comcast is considering its options. So far, neither parent company nor Hulu itself has commented.
News of the talks comes just a week after Hulu's purchase of AT&T/Warner Media's share in the company, which left only Comcast and Disney as the final two co-owners. (They'll divvy up that 9.5% stake, unless they can come to terms on a buyout.) That's not the only big change in recent months, though. Disney's 30% stake -- once equal to that of Comcast -- became twice as large after it acquired 21st Century Fox and other key Fox assets, outbidding Comcast in the process.
Comcast has given no hint as to whether or not it will sell, but regardless, it sounds like the NBCUniversal parent company has no plans to move its content off of Hulu, at least for the time being.
"On Hulu, the relationship with NBC, it's very much in everybody’s interest to maintain," said Comcast CEO Brian Roberts on Thursday during a "Squawk Box" interview.
Interestingly, NBCUniversal has been building an ad-supported streaming service of its own, as Variety notes. It's due to launch in 2020, so that could factor into Comcast's Hulu decision as well. However, Disney has been doing the same with Disney+ and has been considering the possibility of bundling it with Hulu.
It may take some time before any decision is reached, but it's clear that the streaming landscape is changing.
[via: CNBC]