ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro officially took the reigns in March '18, and "although challenges remain, analysts and colleagues credit" him for "bringing stability to the iconic company and finding new ways to reach out to younger audiences," according to Stephen Battaglio of the L.A. TIMES. Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger is also "happy with Pitaro’s progress." He "credited Pitaro with dialing down the political discourse on ESPN’s debate shows" and believes Pitaro has "improved relationships with sport leagues." Sources said that under Pitaro, ESPN has been "more closely integrated" with Disney. The net had "long operated autonomously and did not always embrace the Disney culture." Many sports industry execs believe Iger used former President John Skipper’s exit "as an opportunity to change that." Now much of Pitaro's focus turns to preparing the net for "rapid changes in the TV industry." Touting ESPN+ is a "bit of a balancing act." Pitaro "stressed that it’s meant to be a complementary service not intended to replace the habit of watching ESPN on cable or satellite." The test for Pitaro will be "whether ESPN’s revenue growth from streaming and programming expansion can make up for the TV subscriber losses over the long term" (LATIMES.com, 5/20).
