After a long and twisting road, it looks like the end is finally in sight for the Fox-Disney buyout, with Comcast officially declaring themselves out of the race and instead opting to go after Sky instead.
The statement, which was delivered just yesterday, confirmed that "Comcast does not intend to pursue further the acquisition of the Twenty-First Century Fox assets and, instead, will focus on our recommended offer for Sky," with Comcast gearing up for a battle with Netflix in the near future if analysts are to be believed.
For Disney, it means they'll have solidified their grasp on what could well be 40% of the global box office when they assume control of Fox's movie assets. Disney CEO Bob Iger, in a statement shortly after the news broke, said that his "focus now is on completing the regulatory process and ultimately moving toward integrating our businesses."
The showdown between Comcast and Disney isn't fully over yet, however. Comcast did indicate that they intend to keep pursuing Sky - which Fox has been trying to take over in full for several years now. Many analysts believe that Comcast went after Fox purely to get at Sky, and with Comcast backing off from the bidding war, the likelihood is that they'll pivot instead to buying out the rest of Sky and making Disney an offer once the deal has been completed with Fox.
In the meantime, you'll be waiting a few years yet before you see the X-Men turn up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the deal still has to close and pass through regulatory processes before movies are greenlit.
