21st Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOX) has reportedly held talks with Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) about selling a large chunk of its assets.
Rupert Murdoch recently held discussions with Disney about selling Fox’s movie and TV production studio studios, cable networks FX and National Geographic and international assets such as the Star network in India and its stake in Sky, CNBC reported.
READ: Twenty-First Century Fox counting the cost of USA's World Cup elimination
The deal would leave Fox a media company focused on news and sport while boosting Disney’s content offering as it prepares to launch its own direct-to-consumer streaming services in 2019.
Disney recently announced that it would pull its movies from Netflix and create its two streaming services – one for sport and another for its key franchises such as Star Wars - in 2019 as more consumers turn to digital video content.
Disney and Fox declined to comment.
READ: Walt Disney and Altice reach tentative deal to keep ESPN, ABC on air in New York
The news comes as Britain’s competition watchdog investigates Fox's proposed £11.7bn bid to buy the rest of the shares in Sky PLC (LON:SKY) that it does not already own.