What if Disney-ABC Enterprises acquired Fox Entertainment Group in 2001?

On July 23, 2001, it was announced that the group would be sold to The Walt Disney Company as part of the sale of Fox Family Worldwide/Fox Kids Worldwide (now ABC Family Worldwide) by Haim Saban and News Corporation, and on October 24, 2001, the sale was completed and the group was renamed BVS (Buena Vista Studios) Entertainment. The last official program and fully produced and distributed by Saban Entertainment was Power Rangers Time Force. However, Power Rangers Wild Force was the last series created by Saban (Saban created the series and produced only pre-production, following the acquisition of Saban Entertainment and Fox Family Worldwide/Fox Kids Worldwide, the show was copyrighted to Disney and was distributed by BVS, although the show was produced by MMPR Productions, the producer of the Power Rangers series during the Saban era).

Haim Saban left Saban International Paris in the same year and was eventually split and sold off from Saban Entertainment to become an independent studio. Disney would eventually purchase a 49% minority stake in this division, which on October 1, 2002 was renamed to SIP Animation, which continued producing content until 2009.

On December 14, 2017, after rumors of such a sale, The Walt Disney Company announced its intent to acquire 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion after the spin-off of certain businesses, pending regulatory approval. 21st Century Fox president Peter Rice stated that he expected the sale to be completed by mid-2019.

Under the terms of the deal, 21st Century Fox will spin-off an entity that was initially being referred to as "New Fox", consisting of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News, Fox Business Network, and the national operations of Fox Sports (such as Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, and Big Ten Network, but excluding its regional sports networks), and Disney will acquire the remainder of 21st Century Fox. This will include key entertainment assets such as the 20th Century Fox film studio and its subsidiaries; a stake in Hulu; the U.S. pay television subsidiaries FX Networks, Fox Sports Networks and National Geographic Partners; and international operations of Fox Networks Group as well as Star India. The acquisition is primarily intended to bolster two over-the-top content endeavors—ESPN+ and Disney+. Disney will lease the 20th Century Fox backlot in Century City, Los Angeles for seven years.

The proposed transaction has raised antitrust issues, due to concerns that it could lead to a tangible loss in competition in the film and sports broadcasting industries. Several legal experts and industry analysts have expressed the opinion that the transaction is likely to receive regulatory approval, but would be scrutinized by regulators.

In February 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that Comcast, the owner of NBCUniversal, was considering a counter-offer. Despite initially bidding $60 billion earlier, Fox had rejected Comcast's offer due to the possibility of antitrust concerns. On May 5, 2018, it was reported that Comcast was preparing to make an unsolicited, all-cash counteroffer to acquire the 21st Century Fox's assets Disney has offered to purchase, contingent on the outcome of an antitrust lawsuit AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner. Comcast confirmed on May 23, 2018 that it was "considering, and is in advanced stages of preparing, an offer for the businesses that Fox has agreed to sell to Disney."

A shareholder vote on the sale was scheduled for special shareholder meetings by Fox and Disney on July 10, 2018, at the New York Hilton Midtown and New Amsterdam Theatre respectively, although Fox warned that it might "postpone or adjourn" the meeting if Comcast were to follow through with its intent to make a counter-offer. It was also reported that Disney was preparing an all-cash offer of its own to counter Comcast's bid.

On June 13, 2018, the day after AT&T was given an approval to merge with Time Warner, Comcast officially announced a $65 billion counter-offer to acquire the 21st Century Fox's assets Disney had offered to purchase. However, on June 20, 2018, Disney agreed to increase its bid to a $71.3 billion cash-and-stock offer. Fox agreed to the new offer.

The proposed purchase was given antitrust approval by the Department of Justice on June 27, 2018, under the condition that Disney divest all of Fox's regional sports networks. The networks could either be divested to third-parties, or retained by "New Fox". On July 19, 2018, Comcast announced it was dropping its bid for Fox in order to focus on its bid for Sky. On July 27, 2018, it was reported that Fox and Disney shareholders had "overwhelmingly" approved the proposed purchase. The acquisition was expected to be completed by late January 2019, after remaining regulatory approvals are granted in China and the European Union.

In October 2018, 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 within the early of March).

On November 6, 2018, the European Commission approved the sale, pursuant to the divestment of A&E Networks properties in Europe deemed to overlap with those of Fox. At a shareholders' meeting the following week, it was revealed that the new company would simply be known as "Fox". On November 19, 2018, the deal was approved unconditionally by Chinese regulators.

On January 7, 2019, 21st Century Fox filed the registration statement for "New Fox", under the name Fox Corporation, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In an SEC filing, Fox stated that it did not intend to bid for its former regional sports networks.

In February 2019, it was reported by Bloomberg that Disney had planned to divest the international Fox Sports operations in Brazil and Latin America to secure antitrust clearance in Brazil and Mexico, as they both compete with ESPN International properties in their respective regions. On February 27, 2019, the sale was approved by Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), with Disney having agreed to the expected divestiture of Fox Sports Latin America. CADE coordinated with regulators in Mexico and Chile in evaluating the transaction. Mexico approved the sale on March 12, 2019, with similar concessions. Clearance in Brazil and Mexico was reported to be the last major hurdles for the sale.

On March 12, 2019, Disney officially announced that the sale would be completed on March 20, 2019. On March 19, 2019, the spin-off of Fox Corporation from 21st Century Fox was completed in preparation for final consummation of the sale. A day later, the sale was completed.

But in our alternate history, we imagine if The Walt Disney Company acquired Fox Entertainment Group from News Corporation and merged it into one company in 2001?

List of Changes

 * The merger completed in October 24, 2001
 * The combined company will be called DisneyFox Corporation
 * Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group would change it's name to DisneyFox Motion Pictures Group
 * Buena Vista Pictures Distribution & 20th Century Fox Distribution Arm' merge to become DisneyFox Filmed Entertainment
 * Buena Vista International & 20th Century Fox International Distribution Arm' merge to become DisneyFox International
 * Touchstone Pictures & Hollywood Pictures would be folded into 20th Century Fox.
 * Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. & 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Distribution Arm' merge to become DisneyFox Home Entertainment Group
 * Touchstone Home Entertainment would be folded into 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
 * Buena Vista Music Group & FOX Music merge to become DisneyFox Music Group
 * DisneyFox Television Group was formed
 * Walt Disney Television would became a division of DisneyFox Television Group
 * Touchstone Television would be folded into 20th Century Fox Television
 * Buena Vista Television & 20th Television Distribution Arm' merge to become DisneyFox Televison Entertainment
 * Buena Vista International Television & 20th Televison International Distribution Arm' merge to become DisneyFox Televison International
 * FOX Family would changed it's name to FX Family
 * DisneyFox Corporation would buy Marvel Enterprises & Pixar Animation Studios from Apple in 2001.
 * DisneyFox Corporation would acquire home video rights to marvel films that are theatrically distributed by other companies.
 * DisneyFox Corporation would acquire Hanna Barbera's Fantastic Four from Warner Bros. & Batman 1966 TV series & Movie would be sold to Warner Bros.
 * DisneyFox Corporation would buy Lucasfilm LTD. and THX spin-out from Lucasfilm LTD in 2002.
 * DisneyFox Corporation would acquire home video rights to Indiana Jones movies while Paramount would handle theatrical distribution rights to Indiana Jones Movies