NEW YORK: The Walt Disney Co has clinched its own long-sought deal to buy the Muppets after rejecting a hostile takeover bid by cable TV operator Comcast Corp. The deal to buy Kermit the Frog and the rest of the fabled Muppets from Jim Henson Co was announced late on Tuesday, concluding a courtship that had lasted more than a decade.
Both Disney and Henson declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, but two sources familiar with the matter said it included a payment of US$40mil to US$60mil plus a share of future Muppet profits.