Comcast won the 2018 bidding war to acquire Sky.
Sky was a major European pay-television group with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Its ownership contest began with 21st Century Fox’s attempt to buy the shares it did not already control, but Comcast entered the fight in April 2018 with a competing offer.
The contest escalated through repeated bids. In September, the U.K. Takeover Panel ordered a blind auction to resolve the competition between Fox and Comcast. Comcast won with a cash offer of £17.28 per share, beating Fox’s £15.67 bid. Comcast then bought Fox’s Sky stake and secured control of the company.
The answer is sometimes confused with Disney because Disney was simultaneously pursuing 21st Century Fox, whose assets included a stake in Sky. Disney ultimately prevailed in the broader Fox transaction, but Comcast won the separate Sky takeover. Comcast completed the purchase of Fox’s remaining Sky shares in October 2018.