Returning CEO Bob Iger dismisses the Disney-Apple sale as "pure speculation."
- Disney+ should, in Bob Iger's opinion, prioritise revenue over subscriber count.
- He issued a fresh directive requesting that workers report back to the offices.
- Additionally, the next CEO pledged to support Disney's inclusion of LGBTQ+ people.
Last week, Bog Iger took over as CEO of The Walt Disney Company on a two-year contract with the intention of guiding the media and entertainment behemoth back to growth. Following Disney's recent disappointing quarterly profits report, ex-CEO Bob Chapek implemented a hiring freeze, which the CEO addressed during his first company-wide meeting with staff.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Iger plans to maintain that strategy while he searches for ways to get Disney back to profitability, calling it a 'sensible step given the sector's troubles.' The returning CEO's biggest statement, though, was his dismissal of the idea that Apple would buy Disney as 'pure speculation,' adding that he would not be in charge of any buyouts while in office.
Following Chapek's dismissal, many on Wall Street and in the media began to ruminate on the possibility of Disney being acquired, 'including purchases to service its rumoured $5.5 billion (about Rs. 44,950 crore) in debt, or an outright sale to a tech juggernaut like Apple.' According to Variety, Iger's new directive, which called for personnel to report back to the office, 'ruffled' the workers.
He told Disney staff, 'I happen to feel that there is significant benefit in working from the same place in creative businesses (via The Hollywood Reporter). It inspires energy and fosters creativity greatly. Although I am not declaring anything, I believe that is crucial.
Iger, who oversaw the rollout of Disney's flagship streaming service Disney+, known as Disney+ Hotstar in India, said the corporation ought to put revenue growth ahead of user growth. Iger stated during the town-hall gathering that instead of pursuing subscribers with heavy marketing and content spending, the company needed to start pursuing profitability (via Reuters).
'We need to look very, very closely at our cost structure across all of our businesses in order to do that,' the executive said. According to a source from earlier this month, Disney+ added over 12 million users this quarter, bringing the total number of subscribers for the year to 235 million. Disney+ Hotstar accounted for less than 3 million of those.