Fox Corporation and Roku have entered into a definitive agreement under which Fox will acquire Roku for $160 per share in a combination of cash and Fox Class A common stock, valuing Roku at approximately $22 billion (€18.9bn) in enterprise value.

The transaction combines Fox’s sports, news and entertainment content and the AVoD Tubi service with Roku’s connected TV platform, The Roku Channel, first-party data and direct relationship with more than 100 million global streaming households.

The two companies said they are committed to “continuing to operate Roku as an open, partner-friendly platform and to the continued ubiquitous distribution of Fox content”. On a pro forma basis, the combined company will become the third-largest player in US television by share of viewing.

The transaction is likely to face regulatory scrutiny in the US, with authorities expected to to examine the impact on competition in CTV advertising, content distribution and streaming aggregation.

Lachlan K. Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Corporation, commented: “This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade. In 2019, we reoriented the company around live news and sports. In 2020, we acquired Tubi, and under our stewardship it has become one of the most successful businesses in streaming. Today, we take the next step: bringing together the most valuable live content portfolio in video consumption with the preeminent streaming platform through which America watches it.”

“This combination will transform the scope of our company into high-growth verticals and yield a step change in our overall growth profile. And we are executing this acquisition from a position of financial strength – maintaining our investment grade balance sheet while providing our shareholders with an uninterrupted return of capital program in the form of share buybacks and dividends. Roku pioneered streaming TV and scaled it into a leading CTV platform. Together, we intend to lead its next chapter,” continued Murdoch.

Anthony Wood, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Roku, added: “Over the past two decades, we’ve built Roku into the leading TV streaming platform, reaching more than 100 million households globally and reshaping how people discover and enjoy entertainment. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has built, and the combination with Fox is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate our vision, scale faster, and innovate more aggressively for viewers, partners, and advertisers. That’s why our Board of Directors unanimously determined after concluding its strategic review process that this transaction offers a significant premium to Roku shareholders while also providing them with the opportunity to participate in the compelling future upside of the combined company. I couldn’t be more excited about what we’ll accomplish together.”

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Categories: Articles, Business, M&A

Tags: Fox, roku