Failing to Acquire Fox Assets Could Cost Disney

Walt Disney (DIS) and Twenty-First Century Fox (FOX)(FOXA) exude confidence that their $52.4 billion asset transaction deal will sail through regulatory reviews without much delay or need for significant concessions. Meanwhile, AT&T (T) and Time Warner (TWX), which are seeking to combine in a deal valued at $85.4 billion, have taken longer than originally expected to complete their deal. It’s not that Disney and Fox don’t expect significant regulatory scrutiny of their deal, but they hope that regulatory reviews would conclude quickly so that they can close the deal in the next 12 to 18 months.