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As Disney makes preparations to replace CEO Bob Iger in 2026, many have questioned if ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro could be in line to take that position. He, however, isn’t focused on that.
In a discussion CNBC Sport author Alex Sherman, Pitaro said his focus remains on stewarding ESPN to the heights the company wants to reach, and not on attaining the top spot in the company.
“Look, we have a pretty robust roadmap, and so my job is to keep my head down and deliver for ESPN, deliver for the sports fan, deliver for the Walt Disney Company,” said Pitaro. “And that’s what I’m doing. I love my job. I’m a huge sports fan. I spent years competing against ESPN, and I spent years sitting at Bob Iger’s table, hearing from ESPN leadership and groups to really like and respect this place and its culture.
“So I wake up every morning and I say, I have to earn this job, and I really mean that. I know how fortunate I am to be in this chair leading ESPN, and I couldn’t be more excited about the roadmap that we have in front of us.”
Pitaro added that he’s cognizant that ESPN is facing headwinds that make the company not as profitable as it once was. But he believes in the company’s business model.
“We’re navigating through a storm. We all know people are cutting the cord at a higher clip than they have in the past. If you look at the past few years, 7-8% fewer households watching television,” Pitaro said. “That’s a great business model. It has been a great business model to ESPN and The Walt Disney Company. And when that business model is in decline, you have to adjust, and that’s what we’re doing right now… We just closed our NBA deal. If that deal delivers for us in terms of growing our ratings, growing our reach, we got flagship rights, if it delivers internationally, we got international rights, we should see an uptick (financially).”
