10 Companies That Disney Owns

The 10 companies that Disney owns are the main sources of the media conglomerate’s global success.

It is safe to assume that Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) has a hand in almost every wholesome entertainment offering there is. After all, the company would not be worth about $178.76 billion as of April 7, 2016 if it did not dominate the entertainment field. Its portfolio of products and services span the theme parks you’ve always wanted to go to (if not for the very long lines or the fact that they’re halfway around the world) to that series you just binge-watched, from the latest superhero/space hero/animated movie in cinemas to the doll that your daughter/sister/niece wants you to buy after watching that certain animated movie about an ice princess.

Speaking of that movie, four of the 10 Disney companies and units in this list are involved in the box-office dominance of the films included in our list of the 11 most successful Disney movies ever.

As of April 2017, Disney has direct investments (defined as either complete or partial ownership) in at least 143 business entities around the world. Only one of those entities is public: the penny stock company POW ENTERTAINMENT (OTCMKTS:POWN). The rest of the company’s subsidiaries and investments consist of joint ventures with other media companies, independent private companies that were since folded into Disney, or units specifically created to operate specific businesses within the conglomerate. Some of these subsidiaries are capable of being billion-dollar companies by themselves, but with Disney, they are significant parts of a gigantic media empire that spans the entire world.

Disney categorizes those dozens of subsidiaries and operations into four business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, and Consumer Products & Interactive Media. The Media Networks segment is the company’s most lucrative, since it holds a sizable portfolio of TV channels, including one of the four main broadcast TV networks in the U.S and market-leading sports and children’s channels. The Parks and Resorts segment, which also generates a lot of revenue, handles Disney-branded theme parks and tourist attractions around the world. The Studio Entertainment segment, the oldest of the four segments, has churned out hundreds of top-grossing classic films for almost a century, and is poised to churn out many more thanks its impressive haul of intellectual property. The Consumer Products & Interactive Media segment, which capitalizes on Disney’s humongous roster of characters and content, is a mix of old and new: some merchandising here, some online games and videos there.

Among the dozens of business entities under the Disney umbrella, this list of the 10 companies that Disney owns will focus on the ones that are the most visible and prominent in the conglomerate’s operations. Check them out beginning on the next page.

10. Disney–ABC Television Group

Disney entered into the TV business in 1996, when it bought ABC for $19 billion. The majority of Disney’s TV channels came from that deal, as ABC owned stakes in channels such as ESPN, A&E, the History Channel, and others.

ABC, one of the four main broadcast networks in the U.S, has affiliation agreements with 242 local television stations reaching the entire nation. It also owns eight TV stations and operates a studio unit that produces shows for the network and other platforms such as Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX).

9. ESPN

The so-called “worldwide leader in sports” is 80% owned by Disney (the other 20% is held by Hearst Corp). The media company operates eight sports networks in the U.S, through which thousands of hours of sports coverage is aired, in addition to 19 TV networks outside of the U.S.

8. A&E

A&E Television Networks is a 50-50 joint venture between Disney and Hearst Corp. Channels include A&E, History, Lifetime, FYI, and other channels. A&E also has a 20% interest in internet media company Vice, in which Disney itself owns a separate 11%. This led to the creation of the Viceland channel, which features Vice content.

7. Hulu

The online platform where you can watch reruns of U.S TV shows counts Disney as one of its owners, with a 30% stake. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (NASDAQ:FOX) were the other two co-founders and owners of Hulu, and Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX) now owns a 10% stake in the venture as well. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of companies that Disney owns.

6. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide Inc.

This unit (known as Disney Parks for short) owns and operates all of the Disney-branded attractions (Disneyland, Disney World, et al) in the U.S. Through the unit, Disney also owns 81% of Disneyland Paris, 47% of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and 43% of Shanghai Disney Resort. On the other hand, the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan is more of a licensing deal for Disney.

5, Walt Disney Studios

Tracing its roots the original business of company founder Walt Disney, this segment has been known for bringing hundreds of Disney’s cartoon characters to life (whether drawn or live-action). Recently, the division has expanded from the original Disney-branded one to four divisions, with the other three being sound acquisitions made by Disney.

4. Pixar

The computer animation studio has created many animated hits for Disney, including “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo,” among many others. Pixar began as an independent studio in 1986 before being bought by Disney in 2006, becoming one of the many companies that Disney owns.

3. Marvel

Next in Disney’s great acquisition spree is Marvel Entertainment (bought in 2008), which is now a source of endless blockbuster films and TV shows in the era of superhero movies.

2. Lucasfilm

And just when you thought Disney’s stranglehold on popular culture couldn’t be tighter, they proceeded to buy the creator of the “Star Wars” franchise in 2012. Together, Disney’s three acquired studios have generated the majority of the company’s movie hits.

1. Maker Studios

In an attempt to venture into the online space, Disney bought Maker Studios, one of the largest internet video networks with 1,000 YouTube channels (including popular ones like PewDiePie), two years ago. But unlike previous successes in film and TV, Disney has faced debacles with the acquisition, with problems such as executive moves, layoffs, and content partner disputes. This is one of the few companies that Disney owns which hasn’t been a resounding success, at least thus far.

Disclosure: None