The Walt Disney Company is set to purchase much of 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion dollars. That’s a ton of money, but it’s nowhere near what Comcast was ready to pay for those pieces on the auction block.

Salivating overs its international businesses, the NBCUniversal parent company pitched a dollar amount to Fox in the low-$60 billion dollars range, a person with knowledge of those initial talks tells TheWrap. Using the definition of the word “low” (and thus, not “mid” or “high”), that means a Comcast takeover could have made Fox shareholders on the whole $10 billion richer.

We’ll write that out for readers to see exactly how long those zeroes go on: $10,000,000,000.

Also Read: Fox Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates as Cable Carries Broadcast TV Decline

Our insider tells us that an official Comcast bid never actually came in — this all happened during feeler talks. That is in line with what the company said after Disney’s agreement was accepted. This person also tells us that no secondary push from Comcast has since taken place — but these initial conversations resurfacing may force Fox to explain such a significant self-devaluation to shareholders. It’s starting to become a bit of a tough sell.

But before you think Fox screwed up, there could be very good reasons why it chose Disney’s $52 billion to Comcast’s $60 billion-plus. For starters, these purchase prices mean nothing if the deal dies along the way. Regulatory approval can be a nightmare these days — just look at AT&T-Time Warner — and operating a major corporation under such a cloud of mega M&A activity is neither fun nor free.

Somewhere along the way, Fox determined that Disney would make the better (or at least, more likely) parent. In our totally personal fantasy about this scenario, we’d like to think President Trump’s disdain for MSNBC may have reared its ugly head, much like Time Warner’s CNN seems to be a problem for this administration and that see-you-in-court merger. That would be ridiculous, of course, but why stop the absurdity now?

Also Read: Disney Expected to Lose $250 Million on Hulu in 2018

Speaking of keep-on-keeping-on, it’s definitely not too late for Comcast and Fox to combine. After all, the government still gets a say, as do shareholders. And if you owned a whole bunch of Fox stock, which deal would you root for? One could give you up to a 20 percent higher return than the other. You know, assuming Comcast would still pay such a premium now knowing what Fox was willing to take.

While there is no timeline set yet for Fox’s final stockholder vote on the Disney deal, those with a vested interest should circle March 19, 2018 on their calendars: That’s when AT&T and Time Warner will begin their court battle against the Department of Justice. A victory there for the very much for-profit corporations could change a whole heck of a lot in the consolidating media landscape — oh yeah, and make a bunch of major players filthy rich(er).

Fox and Comcast both declined comment on this story.

14 Times 'The Simpsons' Predicted the Future (Photos)

"The Simpsons" has an eerie knack for predicting the future, from Donald Trump's presidency to U.S. beating Sweden for an Olympic gold medal in curling. Here are 14 times the long-running comedy series got it right.
Lady Gaga

On the episode "Lisa Goes Gaga," Lady Gaga is shown suspended by cables flying over the audience at a concert. Well surprise, surprise because at the Super Bowl LI's halftime show, Gaga descended from the stadium's roof with suspension cables wearing pretty much the same outfit on her episode.
Fox
2016 Nobel Prize Winner

In a 2010 episode, Milhouse predicted that Bengt R. Holmstrom would win the Nobel Prize in Economics and, sure enough, in 2016 Holmstrom and Oliver Hart were announced as joint winners of the prize.
Fox
Donald Trump Presidency

Seventeen years ago in an episode titled "Bart to the Future," Lisa becomes president after Donald Trump, apparently, ruined the economy.

Fox
Siegfried and Roy Tiger Attack

In 1993, an episode titled "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)," magicians in a Siegfried and Roy-like show got attacked by their trustworthy tiger.

In 2003, Roy was attacked by one of their white tigers during a live performance. He sustained injuries, but lived.

Fox
Arnold Palmer

On the 28th season premiere, the satirical series made an Arnold Palmer joke... on the day that golfer Arnold Palmer died.

Homer Simpson tells his wife Marge that he plans to “Arnold Palmer” his pal Lenny.

“Arnold Palmer Lenny?” Marge responds. “You’re going to Arnold Palmer Lenny?”

He was of course referring to the lemonade and iced tea drink mixture -- which was named after the golfer.
Fox
Faulty Voting Machine

During the 2012 elections, a voting machine proved faulty when votes cast for Barack Obama went to Mitt Romney instead.

In a 2008 episode, Homer Simpson went to the voting booths to cast a vote for Obama, but... his vote went to McCain instead.
Fox
Higgs Boson

In a 1998 episode, "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace," Homer writes out an equation on a chalkboard which, if solved, “you get the mass of a Higgs boson that’s only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is," says Simon Singh, science author.
Fox
Horse Meat Scandal

In 1994, an episode titled "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song," the lunch lady was seen reaching into a barrel labeled "assorted horse parts" and putting the meat into the school's lunch pot.

In 2013, it was reported that traces of horse DNA was found in beef products across the UK.

Fox
Guitar Hero

The now basically extinct but once popular video game Guitar Hero was first released in 2005.

But in a 2002 "The Simpsons" episode, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards give Homer a jacket that has "guitar hero" printed on the back of it.
Fox
Farmville

The virtual reality game, Farmville, was all the craze in 2009 with people rushing home from work or school to tend to their farm.

In a 1998 episode, "The Simpsons" shows a scene were kids are excited to play in a yard work simulator.
Fox
Old Beatles Letters

In Season 2's episode 18, "Brush With Greatness," Ringo Starr from the Beatles is shown responding to fan letters while saying: "They took the time to write me, and I don’t care if it takes me another 20 years. I’m going to answer every one of them."

Well, two women in England received a reply to their fan mail form Sir Paul McCartney 50 years later.
Fox
Smart Watches

Sorry Apple, but "The Simpsons" had smart watches first.

In a 1995 episode in which the show is set in the future, Lisa's husband is shown speaking to a phone on his wrist.

The first smartwatch wasn't created until 2013.
Fox
Disney Owns Fox

Back in 1998, a quick scene in "The Simpsons" showed 20th Century Fox as "a Division of Walt Disney Co." And in March 2019, Disney completed its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s film and TV assets.
Fox
U.S. Wins an Olympic Gold Medal in Curling

In 2010, Homer and Marge beat Sweden and took home an Olympic gold medal for Team U.S.A. in Mixed Match Curling. As the animated sportscaster said, "Open your history books, tear out the pages and put this indelible Olympic moment in."
Fox

1 of 15

From Donald Trump’s presidency to Disney buying Fox to U.S. winning Olympic gold in curling

"The Simpsons" has an eerie knack for predicting the future, from Donald Trump's presidency to U.S. beating Sweden for an Olympic gold medal in curling. Here are 14 times the long-running comedy series got it right.

View In Gallery