Uncertainty, and Another Key Departure, at Fox Home Entertainment

Five months after the Walt Disney Co. closed its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the fabled film studio’s home entertainment division lumbers on in a protracted state of uncertainty. New releases are marketed and promoted, often with publicity events to stir up consumer interest. Just last week, the DVD release of FX’s Mayans M.C.The Complete First Season was celebrated with a party at Heroes Motors in Los Angeles. And yet it’s hardly business as usual. No one seems to have any idea of how long their jobs will last — or whether they will be offered employment at Disney. Questions, too, remain about the fate of the division. Will it continue to operate as a standalone entity within the Walt Disney Co., or will it be integrated into Disney’s own home entertainment unit, which recently changed its name to Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International. “No one knows anything,” said one staffer who asked not to be identified. “There have been no discussions, no contracts – we’re all just doing our jobs without knowing for how long we’re going to have jobs.”