A+E Global Media offered for sale by joint owners Disney and Hearst

A+E Global Media, the US-based studio and channels group whose stable of cablenets includes A&E Network, History and Lifetime, has been put up for sale by 50-50 joint owners Disney and Hearst Communications.

Paul Buccieri

Financial services company Wells Fargo has been engaged to explore a sale process, C21 has learned.

There is no guarantee the process will result in the sale of A+E Global Media, either as a whole or in parts, and C21 understands that Disney and Hearst are inclined to test the market at a time when various cable brands appear to be in play. The news was first reported by Variety.

In addition to a sale, A+E Global Media is also exploring other options, including strategic partnerships or a merger. The sale process is in its very early stages.

The move comes after Warner Bros Discovery last month announced that it will spin off its cable networks into a separate public traded company, with the split set to conclude around mid-2026. NBCUniversal is also spinning off seven of its cablenets, as well as digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine, with the creation of Versant.

For its part, Disney has said it is not currently interested in selling its wholly owned cable brands, which include FX and Nat Geo.

In addition to A&E Network, History, Lifetime and FYI, the A+E Global Networks group includes production entities A+E Studios and A+E Factual Studios, around 60 FAST channels, a digital arm (consisting of YouTube channels and streaming platforms A&E Crime Central, History Vault and Lifetime Movie Club) and stakes in Range Media Partners and Propagate Content.

The company was formerly known as A+E Networks before being rebranded as A+E Global Media earlier this year. At the time, the company said the new name better reflected the fact it is an “innovative, multiplatform content engine” with global reach.

A+E Global Media is led by president and chairman Paul Buccieri, who has been with the company for a decade. The company had not responded to a request for comment at press time.