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Tara Lachapelle

The New Disney Will Be a Thrill Ride

As it absorbs Fox and launches its own streaming service, expect some downs to go with the ups.

Prepare for some bumps.

Prepare for some bumps.

Photographer: Susan Goldman/Bloomberg

In order for Disney to get to “Disney-plus,” it’s going to have to be Disney-minus for a while. 

On Wednesday, Walt Disney Co. will officially complete its acquisition of 21st Century Fox Inc.’s film and TV-entertainment assets for about $85 billion, including debt. The deal expands Disney’s library of content as it looks to become a major competitor to Netflix Inc. in online-video streaming. Next in this process comes the April 11 big reveal of Disney-plus, stylized as Disney+, the name of its new subscription streaming app that will be available to consumers at the end of the year.