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| James Murdoch |
Rupert Murdoch's youngest son has worked within the family empire for the last 23 years, but he plans to strike out on his own once Fox sells its entertainment assets to Walt Disney Co. On Tuesday, Murdoch was not ready to share his thoughts on what his next venture might be, saying that it was too soon to make such plans and that he remains engaged in running the media company.
"I'm really focused on trying to land the plane," Murdoch said at the conference, sponsored by Vox Media. "At the right time, I'll think about something new, but I don't really know yet. I'm 100% focused on getting the work [at Fox] done."
Fox and Disney have estimated that it will take at least 18 months to win regulatory approval for the Disney takeover, meaning the deal wouldn't be done until mid- to late 2019.
For the last three years, Murdoch has been chief executive of 21st Century Fox, which includes Fox News, the Fox broadcast network, FX, regional sports networks, National Geographic and the prolific Fox movie and television studios.
Back when that $52.4-billion deal was announced in December, there was speculation that James Murdoch might win a top slot at Disney, but it turned out to be just that — speculation. Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger has since announced a streamlined management structure for his company that seemed to rule out a prominent perch for Murdoch.
And now Disney might have competition from Comcast Corp., the Philadelphia cable television giant that will decide next month whether to pursue an all-cash bid believed to be around $60-billion for the Fox assets.
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