News Josh D’Amaro Named Next CEO of The Walt Disney Company

[Chef Mickey]

Well...

Which CVS are we talking about? CVS Pharmacy or their owner CVS Health Corporation?

CVS Health. $400B in revenue is misleading.

 

[MrPromey]

CVS Health. $400B in revenue is misleading.

I suppose it is kind of hard to explain how you made $400 billion in a year and still managed to end with a negative balance.

 

[Disney Irish]

Disagree. Disney+ lost money way too long, so it was far from right out of the gate. It's still a crap business today.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree here. Disney was right to get into the streaming market, given how the rest of the entertainment space is going it just made sense. We can argue execution but in the end it’s the right decision for the landscape they are in.

 

[Tha Realest]

This is yet another horrible take and attempt at analogous.

Telsa had to spend to build a whole new vertical integration of EV technology and whole new spaces like driving aides. What did D+ have to invent from scratch and build to economic viability (tesla va ford) ? D+ are just a inhouse streaming platform… not some new disruptor technology.

Don’t you know? The 100 year old film studio that had also been producing weekly content from the advent of television and had a few dozen cable channels over the years and had just acquired another studio and a majority stake in Hulu had the same struggles ramping up content and figuring out streaming as Netflix.

 

[JoeCamel]

Agree as well - D+ has been a horrible business, which I've argued for years. For something that was supposed to save the company, I think it has pretty much run it into the ground. It is HORRIBLY managed. Out of control costs, poor margins, years of losing money, terrible content in general, and just misstep after misstep. I hate this management's incompetence. It's insane.

I think a good analogy is management bankrupting a casino, when you have a full library of wholly owned content, experience dealing with millions of consumers, captive performers and an inhouse marketing machine you would think a competent manager would be able to turn it into a money making machine.
You would think

 

[Dranth]

I think a good analogy is management bankrupting a casino, when you have a full library of wholly owned content, experience dealing with millions of consumers, captive performers and an inhouse marketing machine you would think a competent manager would be able to turn it into a money making machine.
You would think

Don't know if that example really holds. You need to be a very special level of incompetent to bankrupt a casino and that certainly hasn't happened in this case.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Don't know if that example really holds. You need to be a very special level of incompetent to bankrupt a casino and that certainly hasn't happened in this case.

Caesars: “Hold my beer”

Certainly not bankrupt but if local sources are to be believed, they are generating just enough cash to break even daily. With $11+ billion in debt to service.

 

[Tom P.]

I think it is worth pointing out at this juncture that Disney's fiscal 2025 net income was $12.4 billion on total revenues of $94.4 billion. Just a point of reference.

 

[DisneyCane]

Finish the job, Josh. Drain the Jungle Cruise. Bulldoze Tokyo Splash. Level Kali. Leave no water ride alive. I want a dry and beautiful Disney World, y'see.


I mean uh, hip hip hooray?

Disney's Mojave Experience!

 

[HMF]

I think a good analogy is management bankrupting a casino,

We certainly know that's possible.

 

[Jambo Dad]

My prediction came true, I knew Josh would be CEO, okay he’s not perfect, but I think he can fix up a few things in the company with the following wish list of what can do within his first year as CEO

Things That Josh D’Amaro Could Potentially Do in His First Year as Disney CEO: updated edition (because it’s now official)



-Put the SoraAI/Disney deal to an absolute stop and kill off the contract before its proposed September launch

-Put the Disney remake hype train to an indefinite halt after Moana (2026), as most, if not all remakes that are in production right now would be stopped immediately and then eventually cancelled (including Tangled), (which that would have Dana Walden make that final call rather than Josh), like how the beginning of Iger’s first tenure as CEO killed off the Disney DVD sequels (another cash grab fad Disney used to do)

-Convince a multiyear contract with Weigel Broadcasting Co. to allow “MeTV Toons” to air classic Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoon shorts after Disney turned down the opportunity to do so when the channel launched in 2024, as it would be the beginning of having Disney license their own content again in a post Disney Plus world (after admitting that D+ won’t be the company’s cash cow they were originally predicting like with the parks)

-Allow House of Mouse to stream on Disney Plus (after a long wait)

-Give Disney’s TV Animation division more love than it actually has, with more theme park love for characters from Gravity Falls, The Owl House, The Ghost & Molly McGee, and their two big ratings hits Big City Greens & Kiff hopefully beginning with Disneyland’s after hours event Disney Channel Nite in April (or in TOH’s case, Pride Nite in June), more merchandise based on those shows that would hit retailers by the Fall (like Hot Topic) from more T-shirts, Youtooz plushies & figures, etc, and more or less, rerunning the less popular/ended shows as much as Big City Greens or Kiff (with Freeform getting the rerun rights to The Owl House, Molly McGee, the DuckTales reboot, and Gravity Falls as part of a new Friday Night animation block as part of a proposed revamped schedule of that channel that focuses nothing but movies 75% of the year)

-Speaking of The Owl House, it would be a great time to resurrect the beloved cult series, which instead of a new special, it would be resurrected as a theatrically released 2D animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios (rather than their TV division where the show was originally conceived), with A24 potentially distributing the film in the North American market, with the show’s entire voice cast reprising their roles (alongside the additions of Willem Dafoe, Ashly Burch, America Ferrera (as The Good Witch Azurq, Luz’s hero), Alan Tudyk, John Leguizamo (as Manny Noceda. Luz’s father who would be seen in full for the first time in flashback scenes of the movie, In Leguizamo’s third WDAS Film after Encanto and Zootopia 2), and several others playing new characters), with Seth Kearsley & Fawn Veerasunthorn directing the film (with a third director in Stephen Sandoval or BCG creator, Chris Houghton joining the production crew later on), and Rachel Vine (one of the show’s original writers), Jared Bush, and Trent Correy & Dan Abraham penning the script

-Uncancel The Ghost & Molly McGee and give it two additional seasons to be released on Prime Video (since Disney Channel wouldn’t show interest on resurrecting the show, due to them screwing over the series by its second season)

-Greenlight an Elena of Avalor prequel special (before turning it into a theatrically released film for Elena to find a bigger audience, which would turn out better than what Moana 2 did in terms of being a movie)

-Greenlight a brand new Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur special for Disney Plus (after the show prematurely ended despite critical acclaim and fan/cast support), and would finally release the banned trans episode to the public

-Put a long standing tradition of the company NOT allowing its movies to repertory play in theaters to an end, as the company would begin to allow its movies from its live action division like The Muppet Christmas Carol, 20th Century Studios titles that Disney would keep like Home Alone, Anastasia, The Simpsons Movie, and selected Disney animated films like A Goofy Movie (although the films from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar would still be off limits and would only be bought back if they want to or every few years for its anniversary of a beloved feature film) to be shown in theaters like Cinemark, AMC, Regal, and others alongside other iconic movies from rival studios during the summertime for families and during the Holiday season

-Have the cancelled Fox show, The Great North be picked up by ABC (and America’s Funniest Home Videos finally getting axed by the network), with reruns starting immediately in the Fall, before deciding to restart the series again at its sixth season

-Reduce ticket and hotel booking prices at BOTH Walt Disney World and Disneyland

-Permanently end the Reservation System at BOTH Domestic Parks, we’re not in the pandemic era anymore

-Reimagine Disneyland’s version of Fantasmic, where a new Maleficent dragon would be constructed, a few new show surprises would be added, and more

-Put the Abu Dhabi Disneyland project on an indefinite hold as this was Iger’s final dream (since Iger’s retiring, I don’t see how this park is still happening on top of the controversial topics on the area)

-With the overwhelming success of Zootopia 2 in the country, imagine and consider a new Disney theme park in South Korea, which WDI cast members will get the mono from their new CEO (it’s a way better idea than the Abu Dhabi project)

-Greenlight an Owl House land for Hollywood Studios in Florida (where Star Tours currently sits, as forums were talking about the possibility of Star Tours at DHS heading to Defunctland) and as part of a proposed Fantasyland overhaul at Disneyland Park in Anaheim

-Propose a fifth theme park on Disney World property in Orlando to successfully compete with Epic Universe (even though it’ll be a bit too late)

-Repair Disneyland’s entertainment problems (okay sure, Fantasyland Theatre’s getting a Bluey show next month, but that’s unlikely going to be a long term solution despite the show’s popularity), like the Hyperion Theater getting a new show and the Magic Eye Theater getting a new show

-Sell the rights to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies to Netflix (with the four existing ones being acquired by Netflix with future releases set to come to Netflix)

-Since Josh will be focusing on video games, I think one of the first things he’ll do as CEO is to give Disney and Epic Games the green light to a video game based on “The Owl House”, and have the show’s characters be among the many Disney characters that would be incorporated into the popular game, Fortnite, to have the show’s fandom finally bring in some new life and content after several years after the show’s conclusion

-The last one would likely make less sense than resurrecting a cancelled cult classic Disney Channel cartoon, but I think he should make a major gram to PBS and would donate $10 million to each and every PBS station in the United States and would be a factor for PBS and NPR to stay afloat

This was a very detailed post with many interesting ideas, although I am less familiar with the various kid programs mentioned. I will add a few more.



Save the Rivers in Disneyland.

Return to a healthier balance between IP based rides and original attractions. Monstropolis is a great idea for example, but the Guardians ride is exactly what it seems like - an unnecessary overlay consisting of screen-based bs plastered on an older original idea.

Embrace the kind of place making and courage to build something like Space 220 (though I wish the menu was more approachable). It has aspects of classic Disney place making and an actual enthusiasm for the future.

In fact - embrace the positive future everywhere in the parks - as evidenced in the original park and in Epcot especially.

Resist Blackstone and the focus on short term gain. You can already see the exhaustion, disbelief and anger from the world’s most loyal customers to the various changes made post Covid. Disney needs to be in this for the long haul and to resist the urge to turn every screw. Surely everyone involved must see that Walt would be appalled. It is disenguous to just laugh that off as old fashioned.

Embrace theming and creativity in new resorts - there appears to be a hint of promise in the Lakeside lodge for example. Recent refreshes have mostly been weak.

Riviera is the poster child for a bad resort . There isn’t anything remotely riviera about that sad unimaginative concrete dump hunkered down at the end of the Caribbean resort. The riviera aspect is a few cheap touches connected to an equally underwhelming and undersized lobby,

Can you imagine if they had been given the direction to build a fitting sister to Animal Kingdom, Alani or Wilderness, or even Yacht and Beach.

Poly’s Island Tower was a little better, but so bland. At least they hid the elevator shafts and stairwells better from the outside.

DVC has been a money machine allowing Disney to sell a good deal of future capacity upfront, have members pay a big piece of maintenance , and be able to sell it again in 30 years. It is not too much to ask that they hold up their end of the deal with truly unique venues.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Reading this thread, I am amazed there are not more wildly profitable streaming services out there as they are apparently very straightforward to set up and run if you don't have management as incompetent as Disney. Either that or other entertainment companies that wisely chose not to go into streaming leaving Disney in the dust for the colossal mistake of ever thinking they could make money from it.

 

[Jambo Dad]

The only known thing is that they will have very tight pants to fill.

Tight pants and clown shoes.

 

[Jambo Dad]

All that 3rd party vetting by a high price search firm and the winner was right in front of them hiding in plain sight.

What a surprise!

 

[Jambo Dad]

It's amazing how bad mainstream journalism gets when it comes to theme parks. It's like they just don't bother doing any fact checking at all when it comes to the industry. Even from mainstream publications.

They are equally bad at everything else. That’s why only a handful of people watch them anymore.

 

[flynnibus]

Don’t you know? The 100 year old film studio that had also been producing weekly content from the advent of television and had a few dozen cable channels over the years and had just acquired another studio and a majority stake in Hulu had the same struggles ramping up content and figuring out streaming as Netflix.

Again.. another horrible take.

You're confusing RESULTS with CONSTRAINTS.

 

[MR.Dis]

I am not overly savvy when it comes to corporate finances. The quarterly earnings report included a tidbit of Disney buying back some 7 million shares. So why do that rather than retire some of their 11 billion in debt? I am sure there is an answer, could someone on this forum advise me on the why?

 

[JoeCamel]

I am not overly savvy when it comes to corporate finances. The quarterly earnings report included a tidbit of Disney buying back some 7 million shares. So why do that rather than retire some of their 11 billion in debt? I am sure there is an answer, could someone on this forum advise me on the why?

The simplistic answer to stock buybacks is that the board and C suite own a lot of stock, they are in contact with funds and equity firms that hold lots and lots more so buying back stock increases their holding's value directly while debt is not a bad thing to have. It allows you to be flexible in where you deploy your capital. Dumping debt will strengthen the balance sheet but the cost of the debt has to be weighed against potential returns it can generate.
The name of the game is please the stockholders and line your own pockets along the way

 

[Jambo Dad]

Shanghai - $5.5B
DCA re-do
2x Galaxy’s Edge ($1 billion each)
Pandora
New Fantasyland
Dream/Fantasy ($1.5 billion combined)
HKDL - $1.4B
Aulani - $800M

That is roughly $12 billion. I’m sure there are other things that add up to $30 billion… right? NextGen? DVC resorts? Do we know how much was spent on WDI research trips to Louisiana?

They were visiting the legendary salt mines of Louisiana of course.

 

[JoeCamel]

They were visiting the legendary salt mines of Louisiana of course.

Beignets on Bourbon Street