On November 3, reports emerged that Fox's proposed $22 billion acquisition of streaming platform Roku Inc is expected to win approval from the US Department of Justice's antitrust review and may proceed through a consent decree with specific conditions attached.
Although the deal had previously drawn opposition from Trump allies, the US Department of Justice is currently inclined to allow the transaction to move forward. However, the specific conditions have not yet been determined, and regulators could still change their position.
The deal would combine Fox's news and sports content business with Roku's smart TV operating system, raising concerns among competitors about market fairness.
There are external worries that Fox could leverage Roku's platform advantages to prioritize promoting its own programs and streaming services. In addition, Roku's free ad-supported streaming channel directly competes with Tubi, which Fox owns.
Fox Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch previously stated that he expects the two businesses to continue operating independently, but would allow cross-platform advertising sales.
Earlier, Chris Ruddy, a Trump ally and major shareholder of Newsmax, publicly opposed the deal. Due to his long-standing streaming content distribution dispute with Fox, the related opposition has intensified regulatory pressure.
The US Department of Justice had previously expanded its investigation into the transaction and issued a second request for additional information to both parties. The regulatory process had at one point sparked investor fears of delays or even failure of the deal.
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