Menu
People and Pop Culture

Disney Extends Bob Iger's Contract By One Year As Search For Successor Continues

Disney Chair & CEO BOB IGER has "extended his contract by one year, underscoring the challenges" the company’s BOD has faced in "finding a successor," according to Daniel Miller of the L.A. TIMES. Iger, 66, previously was "expected to leave the company" in June '18. His new deal ends July 2, 2019. The extension, Iger’s third since he became CEO in '05, had been "widely expected." It gives Disney’s board "more time to search for a successor." With few obvious internal candidates, the board seems "increasingly likely to look outside Disney for its next CEO." The company’s next leader would "inherit a largely different set of challenges from those Iger has tackled." In particular, "major changes are afoot in the television industry." Disney's ESPN has "lost more than 9 million subscribers" since '13 (L.A. TIMES, 3/24). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Ben Fritz notes much of Iger’s time is currently "devoted to developing direct-to-consumer offerings that could help boost ESPN and other television networks that are losing momentum as young consumers defect from costly pay television packages" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/24).

WHAT ABOUT BOB? AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Andrew Bucholtz wrote under the header, "Disney CEO Bob Iger's Extension Suggests ESPN Will Stay On Current Course." From the outside, at least, it "seems like Iger is quite satisfied with ESPN’s leadership and with the network’s path on most fronts." Specifically, he has "regularly spoken about how important it is for ESPN to be in 'skinny bundles.'" Those views "wouldn't necessarily be shared by a different CEO." Beyond that, Iger has "staunchly defended ESPN from analysts' criticisms." But given the issues ESPN is facing and the "impact they're having on the larger company, a different Disney CEO may be more interested in shifting at least part of the network’s direction, or maybe even its leadership." There is "still going to be a different CEO" in '19, and that may "spell changes for ESPN, but the Iger extension suggests they may have another year under the current direction" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 3/23).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/03/24/People-and-Pop-Culture/Iger.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/03/24/People-and-Pop-Culture/Iger.aspx

CLOSE