Citi analyst Jason Bazinet expressed the claim that Disney could consider selling its 67% stake in online streaming company Hulu.
Bazinet offered the following observation in a note to clients: “We believe Disney may sell its 67% stake in Hulu. In parallel, we suspect Disney may secure the distribution rights to two Marvel characters held by Comcast (Hulk and Namor).”
While Disney owns all of the Marvel intellectual property, it does not own the distribution rights to the characters of Hulk and Namor. Currently, it is Comcast Corporation that owns these rights. As a result, Comcast retains the ability to distribute any Hulk or Namor-centric films to its various NBCU media platforms, like Peacock.
Bazinet explained that Disney’s stake in Hulu is worth significantly more than the rights for the two Marvel characters. Despite this fact, the Citi analyst believes that this move is being considered as it aligns with Disney’s strategy to focus more on core brands.
Prior to this latest observation, Bazinet explained that Disney could consider raising Hulu subscription prices or combining the streaming platform with Disney+.
