Murdoch insists Disney deal is a "pivot", not a retreat

UPDATED | Walt Disney Co has struck a deal to buy film, television and international businesses from Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox for $US52.4 billion ($A73.4 billion) in stock, giving the world’s largest entertainment company an arsenal of shows and movies to combat digital rivals Netflix and Amazon.

Is Disney plotting a Netflix fightback?

If Walt Disney buys some 21st Century Fox businesses, it could provide a quick path for the traditional media giant to create a substantial competitor to Netflix in the battle for TV and movie viewers.

A Kylo Ren action figure displayed at the Disney Store in Santa Monica, California. Photo: EPA/Mike Nelson

Star Wars toy sales top $A1b

Star Wars toys generated sales of more than $US700 million ($A1.02 billion) in the United States in 2015, making them the No.1 property in the toy industry during the year.