Disney/Fox Merger Reportedly Clears Final Hurdles, Could Close March 8

The highly-anticipated Disney/Fox merger appears to be winding down, aiming for a closing date in early March. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the deal has secured approval from regulatory bodies in Brazil and Mexico, two of the last markets still prohibiting the deal.

CADE — the Brazilian securities commission — has reportedly agreed to the merger should Disney sell off Fox Sports and its subsequent broadcast rights in the market. The channel currently has broadcast rights for the South American soccer competition Copa Libertadores, leading to an initial anti-trust concern from CADE.

A similar remedy is reported in Mexico, with Disney set to sell their sports channels there as well. It’s not an unexpected move — the United State Department of Justice originally agreed to the $71 billion purchase only if Disney managed to sell all 22 of Fox’s regional sports networks to a suitable buyer stateside.

As the report shares, CADE is set to meet on Wednesday, February 27th to finalize the approval. If approval should be granted, as expected, Disney and Fox reportedly have a ten-day grace period to finalize paperwork and the like. This would end up putting the earliest close date on or about March 8th.

The closing of the deal will be a welcome sight to fans of Marvel Studios’ and the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Disney purchasing Fox, that means the live-action rights to the entire catalog of X-Men and Fantastic Four characters revert back to Disney.

It couldn’t happen at a better time for the House of Mouse as they work on launching their own streaming platform to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime. According to Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, the studio’s efforts on the streaming platform will produce shows that closely tie into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“These will be Marvel Studios productions,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told ComicBook.com about the Disney+ shows. “They will be entirely interwoven with both the current MCU, the past MCU, and the future of the MCU.”

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