The CEO of a major media company is making a play for a legacy broadcast network in a multi-billion dollar deal that would include the acquisition of at least two other outlets.
Byron Allen, CEO of Allen Media Group, is looking to buy ABC along with FX and National Geographic from Disney, according to BET.com, and has put up a $10 billion offer as he looks to expand his media conglomerate.
The bid comes after Disney announced in recent weeks that the company would seek to get rid of “non-core assets” and focus more on streaming.
Last week, however, the company said in a statement that no final decisions have been made.
“While we are open to considering a variety of strategic options for our linear businesses, at this time The Walt Disney Company has made no decision with respect to the divestiture of ABC or any other property and any report to that effect is unfounded,” the statement said.
Shortly after the July announcement that Disney CEO Bob Iger had extended his tenure for an additional two years, he surprised the media world by revealing several shocking insights during an interview with CNBC.
Speaking with David Faber on the network’s “Squawk Box” program, he discussed the “transformative” work he has begun before he hands off the company to a successor, which now, at least, won’t be until sometime in 2026.
“Transformative work is dealing with businesses that are no growth businesses and what to do about them, and particularly the linear business, which we are expansive in our thinking about,” Iger told the host. “And we’re going to look expansively about opportunities there because clearly, it’s a business that is going to continue to struggle.”