Fox Sports Channels In Mexico Are Up For Sale
March 13, 2019
Mexico’s antitrust regulator has given a green light to Walt Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of large parts of 21st Century Fox, subject to the sale of the Fox Sports channels in the country.
The asset sale must be concluded within six months, Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute ruled.
In a concession to regulators, Disney has agreed to sell Fox Sports and the broadcast rights owned by the network, in an agreement similar to one recently made with regulators in Brazil.
Together, Disney’s ESPN and Fox Sports would have controlled 80% of Mexico’s pay TV sports market, according to the FTI.
Disney won a bidding war last year against cable company Comcast Corp to acquire Fox’s assets.
The U.S. Justice Department has said Disney, which owns ESPN, must divest Fox’s 22 networks that provide sports programming for regional and local markets.
