Hearst has set a deal to acquire Disney’s 50% stake in A+E Global Media, the parent company of Lifetime, History Channel, A&E Network and other assets in a deal that calls for Hearst to pay Disney $1.2 billion in cash.
Disney and Hearst have been 50-50 partners in A+E Global Media for more than a decade. Hearst also owns a roughly 18% stake in Disney’s ESPN but that is separate from A+E Global Media and unaffected by the transaction. The A+E Global Media deal is expected to close in September, with Paul Buccieri remaining at the helm as president and chairman.
The deal puts Hearst back into national media in a big way. The company has deep roots in newspaper and magazine publishing and it operates a strong group of 35 local TV stations, most of them Big Three network affiliates.
“We thank our Disney colleagues for decades of successful partnership,” said Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst. “We look forward to supporting Paul Buccieri and A+E Global Media’s leadership team as they continue to make must-see programs and innovate around the great History, Lifetime and A&E brands.”
Paul Buccieri
Courtesy of Paul Buccieri / Jeff Katz Photography
The deal brings A+E Global Media full circle with Hearst taking full control of the assets. Hearst and Disney put the company on the block in July 2025. Starz was among the outside media companies that took a look at the company but it’s unclear if they ever got to a formal bid stage. With Hearst coming in, the A+E Global Media team will settle in with an owner that they know well.
The list of linear channels included in the deal includes Lifetime Movie Network, FYI and Vice TV. The assets also encompass content units A+E Studios, A+E Factual Studio, A&E IndieFilms, A+E Global Media Digital as well as streaming apps, games, FAST channels, AVOD and subscription-video services Crime 360, Lifetime Movie Club and History Vault.
A+E Global Media is one of many traditional media companies that has faced challenges amid a changing pay TV ecosystem. The company’s core revenue base is shrinking amid cord-cutting and the rise of streaming options. Under the leadership of Buccieri, A+E Global Media has been actively diversifying its operations with the addition of A+E Studios to produce high-end shows, such as the Netflix drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” as well as through the launch of FAST channels and niche subscription video services.
“In a media environment defined by fragmentation, A+E Global Media’s advantage is the strength and versatility of our brands, our strong partnerships and our vast library of owned assets,” said Buccieri. “As we continue extending our storytelling globally across all platforms with IP that travels to every screen and form-factor, we believe we are well suited for whatever opportunities may come next. I also want to express my deepest thanks to Hearst, The Walt Disney Company and to our board members — both recent and past — for their guidance and support over the years.”
The company has its roots in the fertile ground of early 1980s cable in New York. A&E Network and Lifetime were launched in early 1984 at a time when the overall cable channel lineup was still pretty thin. History Channel followed in 1995. All three channels have yielded numerous spinoffs over the years.
For its first 20 years, A&E Networks was jointly owned by ABC, NBC and Hearst. When Comcast acquired NBCUniversal from General Electric in 2011, the cable giant had to sell off its stake in what was then A&E Networks to comply with federal merger conditions.
