Disney now owns 100% of BAMTech, the streaming technology services group that powers Disney+ and the media company’s other direct-to-consumer services.
Earlier this month, Disney paid Major League Baseball $900 million to buy the league’s remaining 15% stake in BAMTech, a media conglomerate disclosed in SEC filing Tuesday.
In 2016, Disney invested $1 billion in BAMTech, giving it a 33% stake, and a year later paid an additional $1.58 billion to own a 75% stake. In August 2021, the NHL elected to sell its 10% stake in BAMTech to Disney for $350 million. As of October 1, 2022, MLB’s 15% stake in BAMTech is reported in Disney’s financial statements at $828 million.
MLB pioneered an introduction to BAMTech in 2000 with MLB Advanced Media. That year, the league began streaming live video over the Internet through its MLB.TV service—years before YouTube even caught Google’s eye. In 2015, Major League Baseball spun off its broadcast technology division as BAMTech, eventually founding Disney.
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