News The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors Extends Robert A. Iger’s Contract as CEO Through 2026

[TrainsOfDisney]

AE was really cool…a change of pace

Cool… but off brand enough it wasn’t accepted. That’s my point. It probably could have worked at studios though.

And stitch could have worked if they hadn’t done a cheap makeover of a scary ride

The money wasn’t really the problem, it was just off. We needed something like racing academy at studios, just fun.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Peltz and Iger would make for a good episode of Celebrity DeathMatch. Remember those? Ah, Good times.

 

[JoeCamel]

Maybe Bob tries a bundle and offers Simpsons to Comcast as part of the Hulu payment?

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Maybe Bob tries a bundle and offers Simpsons to Comcast as part of the Hulu payment?

It's an idea but would Comcast want it?

 

[JoeCamel]

It's an idea but would Comcast want it?

Always out for a bargain if they can get it for cheap

 

[flynnibus]

Could someone please share why the consensus around here is Peltz is the bad guy? The things he lays out in the letter are common sense. Executive compensation should absolutely be tied to the company's performance. Disney+ needs to be profitable. Parks are the crown jewel of the company and should be funded that way. The films they've put out in recent years have, with few exceptions, been lacking in creativity.

And which of those things do you think the company doesn't already try to achieve?
Comp plans are performance based for execs.. that's why everybody growns when they hear how much they get paid when things are going good.
Disney is tracking to Disney+ being profitable
Disney has already publically committed to the parks
Disney has already publically acknowledged issues with their content and are pivoting

So what exactly is Peltz bringing to the table? "going to make people give me a plan!" -- AKA gonna Monday Morning QB and just criticize rather than bring something to the table themselves.

Are folks assuming that he has motives antithetical to his letter, or are they opposed to what he has laid out?

His motives are to move into a company that has a depressed value, flip that, and make lots of money.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I'd personally welcome selling off the parks to a reputable operator, so long as they could end up as well-managed as Tokyo Disney Resort is by OLC. They wouldn't be beholden to the underperforming segments of the company, such as D+ and ESPN, and capital generated by the parks can be directed towards their improvements, instead of being shipped out to prop up other segments.

I’d hate to see the parks separated from the studios but it wouldn’t bother me if they sold off ABC and ESPN and exited the broadcast tv market and sold off Fox purely to generate some cash flow.

I think D+ is close enough to breaking even I’d stay the course, it has a lot of potential and they’ve already experienced the worst of the losses with it, it wouldn’t make sense to abandon it now. If it still isn’t making money in 5 more years then they can either sell it or merge it with another streamer, there’s a lot of options for it either way.

 

[networkpro]

I’d hate to see the parks separated from the studios but it wouldn’t bother me if they sold off ABC and ESPN and exited the broadcast tv market and sold off Fox purely to generate some cash flow.

I think D+ is close enough to breaking even I’d stay the course, it has a lot of potential and they’ve already experienced the worst of the losses with it, it wouldn’t make sense to abandon it now. If it still isn’t making money in 5 more years then they can either sell it or merge it with another streamer, there’s a lot of options for it either way.

Unfortunately they wont be able to recoup what they valued the Hotstar property when they acquired it as part of the Fox deal, in fact they are talking another multi-billion dollar bath. Just search for Reliance Media India news for a deeper dive.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don't pretend to say that Peltz is the creative leader who will bring Disney back from the brink. If Peltz really wanted to ruffle feathers... He needs Lasseter. The company needs him badly. A Peltz/Lasseter team would restore sanity at Walt Disney Co.

But that's probably not going to happen. But it would be sweet sweet revenge! Imagine Lasseter coming back to the building as Iger is packing up. One can dream!

You have an interesting, revisionist grasp of Disney history

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Peltz choosing Rasulo as a partner tells you almost all you need to know. Only outdone by Paul Pressler & Bob Chapek, he's the worst VP of Parks I can remember.

I'm curious about the consensus on two other items:

- The call to vote down Froman and Lagomasino. I'm tempted to support that action given they really don't seem to have a strong case for being there.
- The worth of adding any/all of Blackwells' nominees (Craig Hatkoff, Jessica Schell and Leah Solivan). While I'm not in favor of creating chaos, I am all for breaking up the echo chamber the boardroom has become for Iger.

Ever wonder why the P&R guy is always the most hated?

This current Empty pair of skinny jeans will end up in the same

 

[MisterPenguin]

Unfortunately they wont be able to recoup what they valued the Hotstar property when they acquired it as part of the Fox deal, in fact they are talking another multi-billion dollar bath. Just search for Reliance Media India news for a deeper dive.

Or read about it in our Disney streaming thread...

Disney's Streaming Services: Disney+ (and Hulu, ESPN+, Star, & hotstar)

One thing I'd like to see more of on Disney+ and even Hulu are unique SceneScapes and ambient video loops, like the Arendelle Castle Yule Log(s), Haunted Mansion's Enter If You Dare and Swinging Wake, or Kate Bishop's apartment Yule Log from Hawkeye. A cool scene that takes you back to the...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[MisterPenguin]

I’d hate to see the parks separated from the studios but it wouldn’t bother me if they sold off ABC and ESPN and exited the broadcast tv market and sold off Fox purely to generate some cash flow.

I think D+ is close enough to breaking even I’d stay the course, it has a lot of potential and they’ve already experienced the worst of the losses with it, it wouldn’t make sense to abandon it now. If it still isn’t making money in 5 more years then they can either sell it or merge it with another streamer, there’s a lot of options for it either way.

Umm... your plan would cut off a huge portion of new streaming content for D+ and Hulu. They would be left scrambling to make or buy new content as made-for-TV series and movies and for D+ to just be a landing pad for their theatrical releases.

D+ won't break even or make a profit with their new content reduced to about 40% of its current rate of new releases by cutting off all the TV studios they own.

 

[Dranth]

And how did that go?

Disney needs to be Disney. That doesn’t mean they can’t work with other studios - Star Wars and Indy are a good fit as is Twilight zone.

But simpsons, Deadpool, etc. are not it.

It was one of my favorite rides/experiences (whichever you want to call it) and felt very original and inventive at the time. Its downfall was a combination of where it was placed and that people can't read or listen as there were signs and verbal warnings multiple times before you got in the theater.

Slap that in MGM and who knows how long it could have lasted.

Overall, I am all for more adult content from Disney and would love if they used something like Aliens in the parks. Sure, they don't need an Alien bursting out of Donald in an updated PhilharMagic, but something restricted to the PG13 range in HS could work as I don't remember a lot of complaints about it being in the GMR.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

And which of those things do you think the company doesn't already try to achieve?
Comp plans are performance based for execs.. that's why everybody growns when they hear how much they get paid when things are going good.
Disney is tracking to Disney+ being profitable
Disney has already publically committed to the parks
Disney has already publically acknowledged issues with their content and are pivoting

So what exactly is Peltz bringing to the table? "going to make people give me a plan!" -- AKA gonna Monday Morning QB and just criticize rather than bring something to the table themselves.



His motives are to move into a company that has a depressed value, flip that, and make lots of money.

The whole "be as profitable as Netflix!" angle shows how disingenuous Peltz is (or completely clueless as this stage). How long did it take for Netflix to reach profitability?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Overall, I am all for more adult content from Disney and would love if they used something like Aliens in the parks. Sure, they don't need an Alien bursting out of Donald in an updated PhilharMagic, but something restricted to the PG13 range in HS could work as I don't remember a lot of complaints about it being in the GMR.

Family friendly!

 

[Nubs70]

The whole "be as profitable as Netflix!" angle shows how disingenuous Peltz is (or completely clueless as this stage). How long did it take for Netflix to reach profitability?

Profitability is a percentage argument that is measured by ROCE or Return on Capital Employed.

Currently, DIS has a ROCE of 4%, where as, the competition runs at 11%. So the goal of at least matching the ROCE of Netflix is worthy. DIS needs to provide a well managed quality product that meets the financial efficiency of Netflix even if the raw profit dollars are lower then scale up employed capital to meet or exceed Netflix raw profit dollars.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Profitability is a percentage argument that is measured by ROCE or Return on Capital Employed.

Currently, DIS has a ROCE of 4%, where as, the competition runs at 11%. So the goal of at least matching the ROCE of Netflix is worthy. DIS needs to provide a well managed quality product that meets the financial efficiency of Netflix even if the raw profit dollars are lower then scale up employed capital to meet or exceed Netflix raw profit dollars.

Nobody is saying the goal isn't worthy. The issue is that he used "be as profitable as Netflix!" as a "plan" without accounting for how long it took Netflix to realize its current performance or acknowledging that D+ is already projected to be profitable by the end of the current fiscal year. Those are details that would weaken his argument if he provided them - and it combines with some of his other comments and past history to show that his real goal is to squeeze whatever he can out of the stock while he's alive regardless of whether or not it's actually good for the long-term health of the company. If people don't like Iger's management then they'd really hate what Peltz would try to do.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It seems to me, some businesses within TWDC (like theme parks) are focused on profitability and some (like their movie business) are not.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Nobody is saying the goal isn't worthy. The ussue is that he used "be as profitable as Netflix!" as a "plan" without accounting for how long it took Netflix to realize its current performance or acknowledging that D+ is already projected to be profitable by the end of the current fiscal year. Those are details that would weaken his argument if he provided them - and it combines with some of his other comments and past history to show that his real goal is to squeeze whatever he can out of the stock while he's alive regardless of whether or not it's actually good for the long-term health of the company. If people don't like Iger's management then they'd really hate what Peltz would try to do.

It’s not just how long it took but how much they spent churning out a lot of schlock. People are essentially saying “Be like Netflix but don’t do what Netflix did/does.”

 

[HauntedPirate]

Very clear that he has no intent to restore the Magic… he’s just interesting in restoring the money.

Peltz seems like Gordon Gecko disguised as Roy E.

Peltz would bleed the company dry and leave Rasulo to clean up the mess.