Hearst Secures Disney's 50% A+E Stake in $1.2B Deal

Hearst will pay about $1.2 billion in cash to buy Disney’s 50% stake in A+E Global Media, giving Hearst full ownership of the A&E Networks—A&E, History, Lifetime, and FYI—within its Entertainment group. The deal, expected to close in September, follows a year-long process and will have Paul Buccieri continue leading A+E Global Media under Hearst. Disney has been pruning its cable division as linear viewership declines, while A+E remains profitable with a strong content library and ownership of much of its IP. Wells Fargo had been assessing a potential sale on Disney’s side.