NEW YORK -- Disney's $71.3 billion acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox's entertainment division is one step closer after shareholders approved the deal Friday.
The tie-up brings together Marvel's X-Men and Avengers franchises and creates an entertainment behemoth in the digital streaming era.
The shareholder vote caps a saga that began in December 2017, when Disney made its first offer for part of Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate. It kicked off a bidding war with Comcast, which dropped out last week focus on attempted buyout of the European pay-TV operator Sky.
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The Fox deal will help Disney compete with technology players like Amazon and Netflix. The agreement is not expected to close for several months and still requires regulatory approvals.