The Walt Disney Company’s bid for much of 21st Century Fox could net Rupert Murdoch and his family $3.5 billion more than Comcast’s offer, according to an analysis of the proposals by Bloomberg.
According to the report, the Murdoch’s would be stuck with a $2.6 billion federal tax bill on their 17 percent stake in the company if it chooses to accept Comcast’s $65 billion all-cash bid. Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James could get away with paying no taxes on Disney’s cash and stock offer.
The family could make as much as $11.8 billion from a deal with Disney compared with $8.3 billion from a sale to Comcast.
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Bloomberg says that Comcast would need to raise its offer 42 percent, to a total of $92 billion, for the Murdochs to come away with the same boon.
The report is another boost for Disney over Comcast as Fox shareholders consider the competing offers. Comcast’s proposal also faces some regulatory uncertainty, whereas the Disney proposal has already received a green light from the Justice Department.
Fox’s shareholders will vote on the Disney proposal on July 27.