Future Disney: CEO Bob Iger On Streaming, Star Wars, X-Men, & Content Creation

So, it will take several sittings to digest all that Disney CEO Bob Iger served up in the Hollywood Reporter Q & A published on Thursday, but it was damn refreshing to read someone at the top give us some tasty truth.

However, writer Matthew Belloni asked some terrific questions. Iger, ever the diplomat — and businessman — took an optimistic approach, as he pondered the future of The Walt Disney Company.

“I believe we have to look at this as opportunity versus threat. Meaning I’ve tried to manage this company … in a way that enables us to not only survive but to thrive in a world that doesn’t look anything like the world that existed just a few years ago,” said Iger.

There are three ways to do that. The first is make great content. And this is very relevant to the Fox acquisition. The second is to be incredibly innovative about how you bring that content to market. By the way, there isn’t a better example than Netflix. The third is to be truly global in nature.”

Bob Iger

Specifically speaking to some items we cover here on DSNYNewscast.com, Iger predicted to Belloni of the upcoming strategy changes in the industry: “It’s a direct relationship with customers: the ability to provide more customized, personalized experiences; new ways to monetize; a proximity to a customer that doesn’t have intermediaries. You’re going to see growth in direct-to-consumer businesses. You’re probably going to see less channel watching; we’re already seeing that. You’re probably going to see less bundling of channels and more selling of specific brands, programs, etc.”

Of the Disney streaming service, Iger spoke to the specific changes coming in his company’s strategy – and it’s not all about throwing money at digital.

“First of all, I don’t know what Netflix is spending,” said Iger. “If you really look across all of our businesses and you include ESPN and ABC and ABC News and what we’re buying with Fox, we probably spend upwards of what they’re spending.

“It’s just that we’re distributing differently,” added the CEO. “So the pivot for us is not necessarily substantially more spending, it’s substantially different distribution. But while we’re migrating to new distribution models, we have to spend enough [to populate] the new distribution until we can move content on the older ones over.”

Skipping around the interview, here’s some of the juicier stuff…

• On integrating X-Men: “It only makes sense for Marvel to be supervised by one entity. There shouldn’t be two Marvels.”
• On Star Wars (and the timing of Solo: A Star Wars Story): “I made the timing decision, and as I look back, I think the mistake that I made — I take the blame — was a little too much, too fast. You can expect some slowdown, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to make films… And we are just at the point where we’re going to start making decisions about what comes next after J.J.’s. But I think we’re going to be a little bit more careful about volume and timing.”
• And what’s on the docket currently: “J.J. [Abrams] is busy making [Episode] IX. We have creative entities, including [Game of Thrones creators David] Benioff and [D.B.] Weiss, who are developing sagas of their own, which we haven’t been specific about.”

And that’s not the half of it in terms of the interview. Be sure to read the whole article, and I’ll be thinking about what all of this means for Star Wars, shortly.