Disney CEO Bob Iger Says Linear TV Can Be Managed In Decline With “Dramatically” Lower Content Spend
16.05.2024 - 16:15
/ deadline.com
In July of 2023, recently returned Disney CEO Bob Iger shocked the media industry by indicating he might be open to divesting the company’s declining linear assets. By last fall, he’d changed his mind, declaring them not for sale. On interviews and earnings calls since, he’s explained why — most recently at the MoffettNathanson media conference, and in the midst of annual upfront presentations to advertisers.
“When I came back, I did declare that everything was on the table. Meaning I wanted to look at our asset base as a company and determine whether we were supporting assets that not only had no growth but were drags on our bottom line. I looked very extensively at traditional media. It was exhaustive in terms of our analysis. And ultimately, we concluded that … it’s not going to be a growth business, but it could become an important component to our ability to basically engage with the consumer,” Iger said during a Q&A Wednesday.
The key, he said, “is basically to reduce pretty dramatically our investment in content, specifically aimed at those traditional networks. Invest in some, but then manage the traditional platforms, networks, and the streaming platforms, seamlessly. So you’ve got the same executives managing both.” He’s referring to Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, who oversees the company’s full portfolio of entertainment media, news and content businesses globally, including streaming, and Jimmy Pitaro, chair of ESPN and sports, which is now one of three standalone Disney divisions.
“Their goal is to drive bottom line growth. So you would put something on ABC —Grey’s Anatomy, Abbott Elementary — and it goes on Hulu pretty quickly. In some cases, it’s simultaneous. And what we’re getting