Meet the power players of the Disney-Fox merger, who will lead its iconic franchises into the future and do battle with Netflix

The Disney-Fox merger closed on Wednesday, and now Disney officially owns Fox's film studio and many of its television assets.Disney bought Fox last year for $71.3 billion in an industry-shaking deal.We looked at the key players post-merger, including Peter Rice and Dana Walden on the TV side and Alan Horn and Emma Watts on the film side.The Disney-Fox deal finally closed on Wednesday, and Disney officially owns Fox's film studio, many of its television assets, and popular film franchises such as “Avatar” and Marvel's “X-Men.”Disney bought the Fox assets last year (minus its news and sports networks) in an industry-shaking deal worth $71.3 billion. It raised its offer from $52.4 billion after Comcast swooped in with its own $65 billion offer. After a brief bidding war, Comcast ended its bid in July, and shareholders quickly greenlit Disney's purchase of the assets.Disney ruled 2018 with the three biggest movies of the year: “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Incredibles 2.” In 2019, it's likely to repeat its dominance and could even surpass its record 2018 with expected hits like “Avengers: Endgame,” “The Lion King,” and “Star Wars: Episode IX.”But beyond the box office, Disney's biggest test yet could lie ahead in 2019.Read more: Disney's Netflix competitor could hit 50 million subscribers in 5 years, but Wall Street sees 2 major risks to its strategy“I wish I could tell you that the hardest part is behind us, that closing the deal was the finish line rather than just the next milestone,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a memo to staff after the deal closed. “What lies ahead is the challenging work of uniting our businesses to create a dynamic global entertainment company with the content, the platforms and the reach to deliver industry-defining experiences that will engage consumers around the world for generations to come.”The biggest challenge will be integrating Fox leadership and assets into the company, as the Mouse House also prepares to launch its streaming service, Disney+, which is expected later this year. But some longtime Fox executives have been positioned in key roles throughout Disney.They include 21st Century Fox President Peter Rice, who has been named chairman of Walt Disney Television and will be in charge of the companies' combined television assets as well as finding content for Disney+ to compete in the streaming war; and Dana Walden, a Fox veteran who will transition from Fox Television Group chairman into her new role as chairman of Disney TV Studios and ABC Entertainment.“Our integration process will be an evolution, with some businesses impacted more than others,” Iger continued in the memo. “Weve made many critical decisions already, but some areas still require further evaluation.”As with any company shake-up, there were casualties.Among the high-profile executives who are out: 20th Century Fox Film chairman Stacey Snider was not asked to join Disney; Ben Sherwood, Disney Media Networks co-chair and president of Disney-ABC Television Group, is leaving now that the deal is complete; and Channing Dungey, former ABC Entertainment president, already departed and accepted a role at Netflix as vice president of original content.Fox executives reportedly make 20% more in salary than those at Disney and are not expected to take pay cuts once they join Disney, according to Deadline (we'll see whether this forces salary bumps for current Disney execs staying with the company).The deal could also heat up the race to suceed Iger once he leaves his role as CEO. With the merger, direct-to-consumer and international chairman Kevin Mayer could face competition from Rice. The atmosphere is already “tense,” according to Variety, which cited an anonymous senior Disney TV executive.We rounded up the key players in the Disney-Fox deal, who will lead Disney post-merger and be tasked with overseeing some of the most lucrative properties in Hollywood and the world.Below are Business Insider's power players of the Disney-Fox merger: