There's still no decision in Brazil on required sales in the $71B-plus asset deal between Walt Disney (
DIS -1.3%) and Fox (
FOX -0.1%,
FOXA -0.2%), says the key counselor at the regulator involved.
Polyanna Vilanova, the responsible counselor at antitrust regulator CADE, tells Bloomberg that the case is still being studied ahead of a March 17 deadline (a deadline that could yet see a requested extension for another 90 days).
Reports that CADE would demand selling either Fox Sports or ESPN are just speculation, Vilanova says.
Meanwhile, Disney again
extended expiration on an exchange offer for any and all of the $18.13B in notes issued by Fox unit Twenty-First Century Fox America. The new expiration has moved to 5 p.m. NYC time on Feb. 19 from the same time on Feb. 6.
Disney says settlement of the offer is expected to occur promptly after the expiration date, "on or about the closing date of the acquisition" -- which means it's likely to be extended again if the acquisition's unlikely to get closure then.
Estado had reported that CADE would call for the disposal of sports channels since in Brazil, the merger would leave its two key sports networks (ESPN and Fox Sports) with just one owner