"In some cases the challenges are greater than I had anticipated," Iger admitted.
In a recent interview with CNBC's David Faber, Iger suggested that Disney was perhaps spreading itself too thin and may reign in its television production to focus on films, which have been its bread and butter for decades.
"I'm extremely optimistic about the company and its assets," Iger told Faber, "but in some cases the challenges are greater than I had anticipated." He said his prior "pessimistic" predictions about the future of traditional TV had come true, noting that as CEO, he was open to the idea of selling off assets in that category, which "may not be core to Disney."
Included in Disney's TV portfolio are ABC and ESPN, both giants in their respective fields, as well as a number of in-house productions.
"The studio and its movie assets are number one at the global box office this year so far," Iger boasted. "That said, we're extremely realistic and I'm very objective about that business. There have been some disappointments; we would have liked some of our recent releases to perform better."
Iger argued that the perceived failures were not reflective of a personnel problem, but rather the fact that Disney, in its attempt to beef up its streaming content, had simply run its employees to the ground.
"Marvel is a great example of that," he argued. "They had not been in the TV business at any significant level; not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of television series, and frankly it diluted focus and attention."
Iger, who ran Disney from 2005 to 2020, was briefly replaced by Bob Chapek, before being rehired in November 2022. Since then, he has overseen mass layoffs in addition to a restructuring to help ease some of the company's woes.
Powered by The Post Millennial CMS™ Comments
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
Comments