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☆ Sports bettors may be getting bored with ESPN Bet, just 6 months after its head-turning rebrand from Barstool Sportsbook
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sports bettors flocked to ESPN Bet after its mid-November launch. Taking 10% to 20% market share by 2027 no longer seemed like such a stretch — even in a crowded, competitive space. ESPN Bet's share of the online sports betting market has dipped in recent months. The gamble may be riskier than analysts thought, and it will be an outright disaster if ESPN Bet doesn't perform better than Barstool Sportsbook. Related storiesIn the first quarter, Penn's interactive segment headlined by ESPN Bet lost nearly $200 million on an adjusted basis.

Persons: —, Sports bettors, Penn, ESPN Bet doesn't, Shaun Kelley, hasn't, Kelley, BofA, ESPN Bet wouldn't, Bob Iger —, what's, Jay Snowden, We're, Snowden, That's, It's, that's Organizations: Service, ESPN, Penn Entertainment, Sports, ESPN Bet, Business, Bank of America, ESPN Bet's, Penn, Disney

☆ Bob Iger's return as Disney's CEO once sparked hope inside the company. Now, insiders are anxious and losing faith.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Lucia Moses | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"There was a lot of excitement and hope at the return of Bob Iger a year ago," a current Disney staffer told Insider. Uncertainty about the company's future and about who's deciding what on the creative side has left execs in a state of inertia, according to an entertainment lawyer with knowledge of Disney's business. The declining linear TV business culminated in a standoff with Charter Communications over terms for a new contract for carrying Disney's cable channels. And Disney's streaming business, which was supposed to make up for the decline in cable revenues, has lost $11 billion since Disney+ launched in 2019. Churn is a top concern in Disney streaming, some employees said.

Persons: Goofy, what's, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, He's, confidants, Zenia Mucha, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Christine McCarthy —, Mickey, Ariel, grumbled, Iger's, It's, he's, Iger, Paul Verna, Chapek, Bob, it's, Ron DeSantis —, Iger —, Nelson Peltz, he'd, hasn't, Verna, Disney, Ike Perlmutter, Peltz, Perlmutter, Ike, Disney's, Paul Singer, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Puck, Stagg's Blackstone, Intelligence's Verna Organizations: Walt Disney Co, Disney, ABC, Hollywood, CNBC, Writers Guild of America, Wall, Insider Intelligence, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Century Fox, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Communications, Florida Gov, Hulu, ESPN Iger, FX, Geographic, ESPN, Apple, Electronic, Elliott Investment Management, Bloomberg, Mayer Locations: Burbank, Hollywood, Florida's, Iger

☆ Assistants at companies like Netflix and Disney are 'waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel' as their careers stall and they can't get promoted: 'I don't see a way up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Trying to maintain a career in Hollywood was "not something that was feasible for me to continue," this person told Insider. Insider spoke with eight current and former assistants at Hollywood companies, plus a former creative executive at a midsize film studio. Many hopefuls can't find jobs in an industry that's been wracked with head count reductions and budget cuts. Netflix's website lists just one open assistant job — a role in a non-creative vertical. At Paramount, which cut 25% of staff from its US cable networks earlier this year, there appear to be no open executive assistant jobs in entertainment capacities .

Persons: —, strivers, that's, David Heger, Edward Jones, Heger, Bob Iger —, there's, WBD, they've, they'd, I'm, Reed Alexander Organizations: Hollywood, Netflix, Paramount Global, Disney, Warner Bros . Discovery, Paramount, Media, Writers Guild of America, Challenger, Warner Bros, Discovery, Entertainment Locations: Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York

☆ ABC News staffers ‘freaking’ out over reports Disney is in talks to sell the outlet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Bloomberg’s Christopher Palmeri and Thomas Buckley reported that Disney has “held exploratory talks” about selling ABC to Nexstar Media Group. The duo also reported that media mogul Byron Allen has also spoken with Disney about a possible deal. “Everyone is freaking the f**k out,” one ABC News staffer bluntly told me about the state of affairs inside the network. Whether a deal to offload ABC and Disney’s linear stations is ultimately in the cards remains to be seen. “I’m ridiculously passionate about news,” Iger told senior company leaders.

Persons: Bloomberg’s Christopher Palmeri, Thomas Buckley, Byron Allen, ”, anxiousness, Will, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Disney, Bob Iger’s, ABC News’ers, they’re, Iger —, ” Iger, “ Organizations: CNN, ABC News, Disney, Magic Kingdom, ABC, Nexstar Media Group, Nexstar, CW, ESPN, Bloomberg, CNBC, Sun Locations: New York City

☆ Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +88 min

Iger told Chapek that he lived for those "two-shower days," according to people familiar with the conversation. In January 2020, Iger told Chapek the plan was back on. During his 27 years at the company, Chapek had only attended one annual meeting — as a guest in the audience. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, during a CNBC interview, Feb. 9, 2023. WATCH: Disney CEO Bob Iger's exclusive July 2023 CNBC interviewTake the 'A'During Chapek's tenure as CEO, Disney lost more than a quarter of its market value.

Persons: Elham, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, wasn't, Chapek, Michael Eisner, —, who's, he's, Clint Eastwood, Eastwood, Arthur Bochner, Jackie Hart, Kareem Daniel, Chapek —, Eisner, Michael Ovitz, Ovitz, Bob, Disney's, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, he'd, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Staggs —, Steve Jobs, cajoled Ike Perlmutter, George Lucas, Rupert Murdoch, Iger's, Susan Arnold, Arnold, Peter Rice, David Paul Morris, Rice, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Mark Parker, Mary Barra, Michael Froman, Willow, Parker, John Donahoe, Roy Disney, Walt Disney, Stanley Gold, David A, CNBC Eisner, Big Bob, Little Bob, Christine McCarthy, Patrick T, He'd, McCarthy, Iger —, Coronavirus, Gavin Newsom, Michael Kovac, curtly, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Smith, Smith, Disney, Randy Shropshire, Agnes Chu, Ricky Strauss, Chu, Strauss, Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, Who's, Alan Bergman, Bergman, Bob Kyncl, Daniel —, Iger didn't, Daniel rankled, Daniel, Chapek didn't, James Pitaro, Jesse Grant, CNBC Chapek, Jimmy Pitaro, Zenia Mucha, didn't, Mucha, Barbara Walters, Charles Eshelman, Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson —, Florence Pugh, Natasha, Yelena, " Johansson, Bryan Lourd, Johansson, Lourd, Steven Spielberg, Al Michaels, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Spielberg, Geoff Morrell, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Bochner, Claire Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh D'Amaro, Ron DeSantis, Morrell, Disney Animation —, George Floyd, Reba Saldanha, Reuters Chapek, DeSantis, Nicholas Maldonado, Octavio Jones, Chapek she'd, we're, " Morrell, CNN's Chris Wallace, Kristina Schake, John Skipper, Daniel steamrolled, Latondra Newton, Newton, Charles Krupa, Pitaro, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Dana Walden, Thomas Murphy, Josh Kushner, Privately, Schake, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's, David Dee Delgado, Kara Swisher, hadn't, Netflix's, overhiring, McCarthy hadn't, Safra Catz, Kareem, DMED, Horacio Gutierrez, Justin Warbrooke, Alexia Quadrani, Bryan Castellani, Michael Buckner, Quadrani, Lindsay Lohan, Winnie, Nelson Peltz, Catz, Donald Trump's, they'd, Walden, Gutierrez, D'Amaro, Rich Polk, Walden he'd, Iger she'd, Mickey Mouse, Mark Rightmire, haven't, Indiana Jones, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Hamilton Faber, Rich Greenfield, Bob Iger's, — Mayer, McCarthy —, doesn't, they'll Organizations: Disney, Marvel, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty, Walt Disney, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Shanghai Disney, Man, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Pixar, Fox, Chapek, Nike, General, Mastercard, Foreign Relations, University of Pennsylvania, Grogan, Disney's, Fallon, ABC, ESPN, ABC News, California Gov, New York Times, Disney confidants, Hollywood, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Studios, Hulu, HBO Max, Walt Disney Company, YouTube, Companies, Netflix, Apple, Disney Media, Entertainment, Stanford, Rights, Junior, petulant, Filmmagic, Brunswick Group, Covid, CAA, onetime Defense Department, Century Fox, Human, Florida Gov, Republican, Disney Animation, Reuters, Human Rights, HRC, Walt Disney World, Employees, American Foundation for Equal Rights, AP, Amazon Prime, Paramount, South Pacific, Capital Cities, Dow Jones, CVS, Kingdom, Variety, Trian Partners, Charter Communications, U.S, Comcast, Charter's, MediaNews, Orange, Allen, Co, Candle Media, Advisors Locations: Burbank , California, Midwestern, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Iger, Hammond , Indiana, Shanghai, China, Hong, Fox, Willow Bay, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, U.S, Hulu, Iger's Brentwood, coronavirus, Brunswick, Hollywood, Hawaii, Disney's, Marvel's, Anaheim , California, Montana, Florida, Rye , New Hampshire, Chapek, Hong Kong, California, missteps, South, DMED, Burbank, New York, India, Atlantic, Sun Valley , Idaho, America

☆ Bob Iger is supposed to save Disney. It’s not going according to plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“In some ways, the challenges are greater than I anticipated,” Iger told CNBC in a revealing interview last month. But under Iger 2.0, Disney has cultivated even more headaches for itself, including a morale crisis sparked by one surprisingly candid interview with CNBC on July 13. Naturally, the comments set off alarms within Disney General Entertainment Content, the division that operates Disney’s broadcast and cable networks. A few days after the Faber interview, Iger tried to smooth things over at an off-site meeting with senior managers. But Disney appears to be all-in on the boss, even though the sequel almost never lives up to the original.

Persons: Bob Iger, Dad ”, It’s, ” Iger, won’t, Mary Poppins, Iger, David Faber, Disney’s, David Paul Morris, Faber, CNN’s Oliver Darcy, can’t, Bob Chapek, Weeks, Chapek, Disney Organizations: New, New York CNN, Disney, CNBC, Hollywood, Rivals Comcast, Warner Bros ., Sun, ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel, Geographic, Allen & Co Media, Technology Conference, Bloomberg, Getty, Disney General Entertainment, Lucasfilm, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar Studios Locations: New York, Idaho, Sun Valley , Idaho

☆ The new 'tone deaf' Bob Iger might just be focused on a Disney and Apple M&A
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Peter Csathy | Fearless Media | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fearless Media is a newsletter about the future of entertainment, media, and tech by Creative Media chairman Peter Csathy . Disney CEO Bob Iger's comments regarding the strikers may hint at his deeper M&A state of mind. For the past decades, Disney CEO Bob Iger has been perhaps the most revered media and entertainment titan, beloved by both employees and Wall Street — a rare feat and balancing act to be sure. SAG President Fran Drescher joined voices across entertainment in calling Iger's comments "tone deaf" and rich for someone who reportedly makes more than 500 times the median salary of Disney employees. Peter Csathy is the founder and chairman of Creativie Media and an internationally recognized media, entertainment, and tech expert.

Persons: Peter Csathy, Bob Iger's, Iger, Bob Iger, —, Fran Drescher, Iger's, Sun, Tim Cook —, Steve Jobs, Rupert Murdoch, Palminteri, Keyser, doesn't bode, Read Organizations: Creative Media, Disney, Morning, Fearless Media, SAG, Mouse House, Marvel, Pixar, Apple, Wall, Fox Television, Wall Street, Hollywood, Creativie Media Locations: Sun Valley, Nice

has brought back two former heirs apparent, Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, to advise on the future of Disney’s legacy TV businesses were sure to get Hollywood talking. Mr. Mayer and Mr. Staggs will help Iger think about “linear” TV properties like ABC, according to Puck. Both men had once been tipped as potential successors to Iger — Mr. Mayer as head of M.&A. (Mr. Iger chose Bob Chapek to take over, but he was ousted after two years and replaced by … Mr. Mr. Mayer and Mr. Staggs now run Candle Media, an investment company that has bought an array of production studios.

Persons: Robert Iger, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Iger’s, Mayer, Staggs, Puck, Iger, Mr, Bob Chapek, … Mr Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Media

☆ Jim Cramer's plans for Disney stock after everything we learned from CEO Bob Iger
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Hulu As part of Disney's future streaming business, Hulu is expected to be a strategic asset. "I don't think that Bob's going to get out of paying very little for Hulu," Jim said, which could lead to further pressure on the entertainment giant's balance sheet. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. Disney CEO Bob Iger speaking with CNBC's David Faber at the Allen&Co.

Persons: Walt Disney, Bob Iger's, —, Jim Cramer, Bob, Jim, Bob Iger —, Iger, Bob Chapek, ESPN Iger, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Iger's, Jim Cramer's, Bob Iger, CNBC's David Faber, David A Organizations: Disney, CNBC, Sun, ESPN, Apple, Apple Vision, Hulu, Comcast, Parks, Flordia, Netflix, Disney Entertainment, Allen, Grogan Locations: Idaho, Wells Fargo, Hulu, Florida, Sun Valley , Idaho

☆ Disney's parks division is driving big profits, a bright spot as the streaming biz struggles and ESPN's future is unclear. Here's how that could factor into Bob Iger's CEO succession plans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger has reorganized the company into 3 core units: entertainment, ESPN, and parks. Parks' growing prominence comes as the company faces looming decisions over Iger's CEO. Travel bans "dramatically impacted" results for Disney Parks during the intense early years of the coronavirus pandemic, Heger noted, adding that parks are now generating more revenue and operating profit than they did in pre-COVID times. The parks' success is "helping to offset" losses from Disney's "DTC," or direct-to-consumer streaming business, Heger added. Josh D'Amaro, the current chairman for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, would be a likely figure appearing on any shortlist of CEO contenders.

Persons: Bob Iger, Parks, It's, Dave Heger, Edward Jones, Heger, AECOM, Iger, Josh D'Amaro, Christine McCarthy —, Iger's, Bob Chapek, Ron DeSantis, Chapek, Hollywood creatives, Tom Staggs, Iger —, —, Chapek's, it's, you've, Jeffery Merola, he'd, DeSantis, Reed Alexander Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Disney Parks, Walt Disney, Disneyland, Products, Florida Gov, Hollywood, Los Angeles Times, Sunshine State Locations: Tokyo, Shanghai, Orlando , Florida, Anaheim , California, execs, Chapek, Syracuse , New York, Orlando

☆ Inside Disney it's 'Revenge of the Creatives' and 'Shields Up!' against outside foes as returned CEO Bob Iger is taking no prisoners
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Since returning as Disney CEO, Bob Iger has vanquished foes and dumped many of predecessor Bob Chapek's hires. But it's a supercharged Bob Iger who is really taking command. "If I'm inside Bob's head coming back, after the downfall of Bob Chapek, this is all about taking no prisoners," said Will Schutte, a high-level executive coach. Disney World is scheduled to host a major conference on gay rights in September, according to the Miami Herald. Even if he wants to be the Bob Iger of old he can't be.

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger says ESPN will 'one day' be streaming only
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger predicts that ESPN will "one day" shift to a streaming-only model. They include Disney Entertainment, which consists of the movie studios and streaming platforms; parks, experiences, and products; and ESPN, which encompasses both the linear ESPN network, and the ESPN+ streamer. "A so-called over-the-top model — a streaming model — it would be a phenomenal product for the sports fan," he added. When asked directly if ESPN will one day largely be a streaming service, Iger said that "there's an inevitability to it." "It created a huge divide between the creative side of the company — the content engines, movies and television — and the monetization and distribution side of the company," Iger said on Thursday.

☆ Inside the Disney drama as CEO Bob Iger announces massive layoffs and a reorg that dismantles the structure under predecessor Bob Chapek
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Bob Iger returned to Disney as CEO in November, ending Bob Chapek's rocky tenure. In one of the most dramatic reversals in corporate history, the Walt Disney Co. board reinstated Bob Iger as CEO in November, ousting his predecessor Bob Chapek. Disney had just reported a $1.5 billion loss in its streaming business on a November 8 earnings call. Wall Street faulted him for waiting until after the 3Q earnings call to announce that layoffs were planned, for example. Disney, which in December launched its own ad-supported Disney+ offering, has enjoyed strong streaming growth, but Wall Street cares more about profitability now.

☆ Inside the Disney drama as CEO Bob Iger returns, replacing protege Bob Chapek
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Bob Iger returned to Disney as CEO in November, ending Bob Chapek's rocky tenure. In one of the most dramatic reversals in corporate history, the Walt Disney Co. board reinstated Bob Iger as CEO in November, ousting his predecessor Bob Chapek. Disney had just reported a $1.5 billion loss in its streaming business on a November 8 earnings call. Wall Street faulted him for waiting until after the 3Q earnings call to announce that layoffs were planned, for example. Read more about what Disney, Hollywood, and Iger expect from Iger:

☆ Disney stock has plunged 45% this year, putting it on track for its worst performance in nearly 5 decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Disney stock is down 45% this year and on track for its worst annual performance since 1974. The shares have been hit by pandemic disruptions, management issues, and the wider market downturn. The painful selloff has erased about $200 billion from Disney's market capitalization since March 2021. Yet investors have balked at the streaming service's rising costs, which fueled a hefty $1.5 billion operating loss in Disney's streaming division last quarter. Disney stock has also been caught up in a wider market downturn.

☆ Bob Iger’s biggest challenge at Disney: Finding the next Bob Iger
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN Business —Bob Iger has a lot on his to do list in his second round as Disney’s CEO. Finding the next Bob Iger. Josh D’AmaroLet’s start with Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products, who took over that role from Chapek when he became CEO. Jimmy Pitaro & Dana WaldenThere also are two executives from Disney’s TV side: Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN and Sports Content, and Dana Walden, chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content. The next Bob IgerIs it even possible to replace Bob Iger?

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