Disney Is Holding Talks About Selling ABC

Earlier today we brought you news that former Nexstar Media executive Tom Carter believed that the local broadcaster could potentially be a buyer for Disney’s ABC stations.

As it turns out, Carter may have known more than he was letting on.

Photo: Nexstar

Disney Has Had Discussions About Selling ABC

According to Bloomberg, The Walt Disney Company has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to Nexstar.

While the talks are preliminary and reportedly haven’t involved a specific valuation, Nexstar seems interested in buying the television assets.

Additionally, Entertainer Bron Allen, who owns numerous TV outlets, has also repeatedly had discussions with Disney about the acquisition of the network.

The idea that Disney could divest itself from its linear television stations really gained traction when CEO Bob Iger admitted in a June CNBC interview that linear TV “may not be core” to the company’s future.

Bpb Oger

Since that time, both Iger and other Disney executives have spoken openly about the possibility of lessening their stake in linear TV.

According to estimates from Bloomberg Intelligence, a sale of ABC and the company’s eight TV stations could bring in $4 billion for Disney. That number would be about seven times the network’s roughly $575 million in earnings.

Nexstar Is No Stranger To Linear TV

Nexstar, for their part, is no stranger to linear television. The company currently owns or partners in over 200 stations in 16 markets, many of which are affiliated with Fox, NBC, and CBS.

Last year, Nexstar acquired majority ownership of the CW network from Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and Paramount Global.

As always, be sure to check back in with MickeyBlog. We will continue to bring you updates on all the news surrounding a potential sale of ABC.

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