Rumour has it Disney is going to purchase Netflix
Netflix's runaway success has seen it surpass Wall Street expectations, partially thanks to a sharp boost in international subscriptions
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A report from TechCrunch claims Disney is currently eyeing up Netflix as their next possible purchase - knowing how well their acquirement of both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm has worked out, with the studio having already broken its annual box office record with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story still on the horizon.
Netflix's runaway success has seen it surpass Wall Street expectations, partially thanks to a sharp boost in international subscriptions; helping to boost confidence in its promises to deliver $6 billion worth of original content in 2017.
However, its narrow, singular content-focused subscription-based business model doesn't look to be sustainable in the long term, meaning the company itself will likely be looking for a buyer in the near future. Disney's own interest, meanwhile, seems born out of both declining ESPN subscriber numbers and increasing competition elsewhere, following AT&T's staggering $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, encompassing both Warner Bros. and HBO.
The company will soon be launching a $35 per month DirecTV service which will showcase live linear premium television channels that Netflix doesn't have, while controlling its own content carefully to restrict and even withhold it from competitors. Netflix, however, already hosts Disney creative content in the form of its various Marvel TV series (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones etc.) alongside multiple live-action and animation films.
The report adds Disney's timing may not be entirely coincidental either; its current CEO Bob Iger is set to retire in 2018 and a possible candidate for succession is none other than Netflix's own CEO, Reed Hastings. Watch this space.
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