Disney CEO Bob Iger knows what kind of asset he’s got in ESPN. And the future for The Worldwide Leader, at least in the short term, is a reason for optimism from Iger.
“One of the reasons we’re optimistic is we know the power and the popularity of live sports and we know how attractive it is,” Iger said in a talk at a Morgan Stanley conference Thursday. “Not just to consumers but to advertisers.”
In addition to the linear TV product, ESPN boasts a subscriber base of 25 million for its streaming service ESPN+. Iger said the service has supplemented the network’s brand well and made way for ESPN to become a hub to access any game being live-streamed.
“At this point, [ESPN+] is what I call a flanker business or brand to the main ESPN brand,” he said. “Down the road, at some point, I think it’s inevitable…[ESPN] will become a direct-to-consumer business.”
“There’s a reason to be bullish,” Iger added.
Despite persistent rumors that Disney wants to spin off the network and its related businesses, Iger said ESPN is headed in a good direction.
“We think we’re well positioned,” he said. “And it doesn’t mean that we’re not going to be open-minded about its future, but right now, we’re bullish about it.”
