The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 and since the 1990s has acquired many properties to increase its size in the media industry. The table shows the most substantial and important mergers and acquisitions that Disney has made over the years.
Acquisitions
Acquired company Date Country Price (US$) Price Adjusted for Inflation (US$) Parent/Merged WithReferences1. Disneyland, Inc. 1957 (64% controlling stake) 562,500 Disney Parks, Experiences and Products 1960 (remaining shares) 7,500,000 2. WED Enterprises (park designing and engineering division) 19653. Retlaw Enterprises (parks transportation division) 1982 42,600,000 4. Wrather Corporation 1987 (50% share) 1988 (remaining 50%) 5. Miramax Films June 30, 1993 60,000,000 The Walt Disney Studios6. Capital Cities/ABC Inc. February 9, 1996 19,000,000,000 Disney General Entertainment Content 7. Jumbo Pictures February 29, 1996 Walt Disney Television 8. Dream Quest Images April 1996 Walt Disney Feature Animation 9. Toysmart August 1996 Disney Interactive Gelsi, Steve. (August 25, 1999). Disney plays with Toysmart.com. Marketwatch.com.10. Starwave April 30, 1998 400,000,000 Go.com 11. Infoseek July 12, 1999 1,770,000,000 12. ABC Family Worldwide October 24, 2001 2,900,000,000 Disney Entertainment Television 13. The Baby Einstein Company November 6, 2001 The Walt Disney Company 14. The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House February 17, 2004 75,000,000 The Muppets Studio 15. Avalanche Software April 19, 2005 Disney Interactive Studios 16. Living Mobile October 19, 2005 Walt Disney Internet Group 17. Pixar May 5, 2006 7,400,000,000 Walt Disney Studios 18. Climax Racing September 2006 Disney Interactive Studios 19. Junction Point Studios February 8, 2007 20. New Horizon Interactive August 2007 350,000,000 21. Gamestar February 2009 22. Kerpoof February 2009 Disney.com 23. Wideload Games September 8, 2009 Disney Interactive Studios 24. Marvel Entertainment December 31, 2009 4,400,000,000 The Walt Disney Company 25. Tapulous July 1, 2010 Disney Mobile 26. Playdom August 27, 2010 563,000,000 Disney Interactive 27. Rocket Pack March 2011 Disney Interactive Studios 28. Babble Media November 2011 Disney Consumer Products 29. UTV Software Communications January 31, 2012 450,000,000 The Walt Disney Company India30. StudioEX December 10, 2012 Disney Interactive 31. Lucasfilm December 21, 2012 4,050,000,000 Walt Disney Studios32. Maker Studios March 24, 2014 500,000,000 Disney Digital Network33. BAMTech Media 2016 2,930,000,000 Disney Streaming 34. Euro Disney SCA June 19, 2017 760,000,000 Disney Parks, Experiences and Products 35. 21st Century Fox (entertainment assets, cable networks and international networks) March 20, 2019 71,300,000,000 The Walt Disney Company 36. Hulu April 16, 2019 (AT&T's 10% stake) 1,430,000,000 Disney Streaming December 1, 2023 (Comcast's 33% stake) 8,610,000,000 37. Epic Games February 7, 2024 (9% equity stake) 1,500,000,000 The Walt Disney Company38. Webtoon Entertainment September 17, 2025 (2% controlling stake) The Walt Disney Company 39. FuboTV October 29, 2025 (70% controlling stake) 220,000,000 Disney Streaming 40. NFL's Media assets January 31, 2026 ESPN Inc.
Divestments Acquirer Target company Date of sale Price of sale Price Adjusted for saleReferences Young Broadcasting KCAL-TV May 14, 1996 385,000,000 Young Broadcasting Buys KCAL-TV from Disney, The Wall Street Journal, May 14, 1996. Retrieved October 26, 2014. Rural Press Farm Progress July 1, 1997 Advance Publications Fairchild Publications August 20, 1999 650,000,000 Andy Heyward Bain CapitalChase Capital Partners DIC Entertainment November 25, 2000 The Weinstein Company Dimension Films 2005 Citadel Broadcasting ABC Radio Networks June 12, 2007 "Disney and Citadel Announce Completion of ABC Radio Merger" Official Press Release. June 12, 2007 ITV plc GMTV November 26, 2009 22,250,000 Saban Brands Power Rangers and entertainment assets May 12, 2010 43,000,000 Filmyard Holdings Miramax Films December 3, 2010 663,000,000 Kids II, Inc. The Baby Einstein Company October 14, 2013 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Avalanche Software January 24, 2017 Sinclair Broadcast GroupEntertainment Studios Fox Sports Networks August 22, 2019 10,600,000,000 Scopely FoxNext Games January 22, 2020 Banijay Endemol Shine Group July 3, 2020 2,200,000,000 Gimbal, Inc. TrueX September 28, 2020 ViacomCBS TeleColombia November 23, 2021 Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa KRDC June 13, 2023 5,000,000 Hearst Communications A+E Global Media August 4, 2026 1,200,000
See also Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney
References