Not so fast on the Walt Disney Co.'s proposed $52 billion deal to buy most of 21st Century Fox's assets, including 22 regional sports networks such as the Yankees' YES Network.
NBCUniversal owner Comcast has swooped in with its own $31 billion offer for Sky, the British satellite broadcaster that's viewed as one of the most attractive and important assets in the Disney-Fox deal
MORE: How Disney-Fox deal would affect sports viewers
As the owner of NBC and NBCSN, Comcast is the largest cable operator in the U.S. With 23 million customers, Sky controls TV rights to the English Premier League and other pro soccer entities in Europe.
Led by chairman Rupert Murdoch, 21st Century Fox owns nearly 40 percent of Sky and has agreed to buy the rest pending regulatory approval. But Comcast, led by Brian Roberts, is offering more money for Sky than 21st Century Fox.
That might leave Murdoch with two unappealing options, according to Reuters. The 86-year old mogul can either "enter a bidding war for Sky, or re-think his deal to sell Fox’s entertainment assets to Disney chief Bob Iger."
Sky's share prices rose Tuesday, indicating Wall Street expects Murdoch to jack up his bid. Analysts thinks his real objective is to derail the Disney-21st Century Fox deal announced in December
Roberts said his bid offers 16 percent greater value than Murdoch's 21st Century Fox bid.
“We think Sky is an outstanding company. It has 23 million customers and leading positions in the UK, Italy, and Germany," Roberts said in a statement. "Sky has been a consistent innovator in its use of technology to deliver a fantastic viewing experience and has a proud record of investment in news and programming. It has great people and a very strong and capable management team."
Murdoch has been trying to get Sky for over 20 years but has always been stymied by European regulators. His 21st Century Fox countered in a statement that it “remains committed to its recommended cash offer for Sky,” according to The New York Times .
This is not the first time Comcast and Roberts have disrupted Disney's best-laid plans.
Comcast launched an unsolicited $54 billion bid to take over the Mouse House in 2004. If the Disney-21st Century Fox deal is eventually completed, Fox Broadcasting and the FS1/FS2 cable channels will not be included in the deal. ESPN would likely rebrand all 22 regional sports networks, including YES, which is owned by Fox and the Yankees.