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

[Stripes]

The problem is a good portion of the market also wants Peltz on the board despite Iger not wanting to work with him. They want to have their cake and eat it, too.

Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Frankly, I have no idea why a shareholder, after listening to Peltz’s ideas and researching his past performance, would want him in the boardroom. At best, he’d be a waste of space.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The problem is a good portion of the market also wants Peltz on the board despite Iger not wanting to work with him. They want to have their cake and eat it, too.

The investors want Iger to leave…at least committing to it if not today.

He’s getting brow beaten not too subtly by investor groups for chapek. That’s succession. 100%

Bob says he’ll leave (he won’t unless forced to)
The board says they’re looking (they’re not…until they’re forced to)
Peltz has made succession a huge part of his push
The advisor agencies are calling for succession


I don’t know how all that gets bundled up as “they want Bob to stay”

All evidence to the contrary.

 

[BrianLo]

Peltz withholding his votes for Iger highly suggests he expects will leave if he and/or Rasulo win, since he knows damn well Iger won't willingly work with him if he wants to risk losing employees' trust (which is already bruised after the layoffs and the strikes, especially his comments on the latter).

Ya, I do get that. I’m not naive enough to think Peltz actually does what he says, or will directly support the next golden age in park expansion.

It seems to be about ego more than money now.

 

[TalkingHead]

Wonder if any new MCU release will ever outgross Guardians 3. It was perceived as the end of the ride for a lot of casual fans.

Iger has had a while to pitch a corrective course for his beloved franchises and Disney entertainment in general, but the plan seems to be stay the course with more of the same.

Audiences clearly are responding to new, big PLF theatrical experiences made with a high degree of craft and creative passion. If Iger can’t figure out how to get in on that game with SW, Marvel, and Pixar in-house, what’s that say about his leadership in 2024?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Frankly, I have no idea why a shareholder, after listening to Peltz’s ideas and researching his past performance, would want him in the boardroom. At best, he’d be a waste of space.

Because the board doesn’t write scripts or build park rides

This is a fan board…so we think that somehow matters…but it does not.

Investors want more money and stabilty…those that ultimately choose Peltz will do so believing some counter points on what everyone agrees is a terrible board serves their longterm interests

Life is full of choices

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wonder if any new MCU release will ever outgross Guardians 3. It was perceived as the end of the ride for a lot of casual fans.

Iger has had a while to pitch a corrective course for his beloved franchises and Disney entertainment in general, but the plan seems to be stay the course with more of the same.

Audiences clearly are responding to new, big PLF theatrical experiences made with a high degree of craft and creative passion. If Iger can’t figure out how to get in on that game with SW, Marvel, and Pixar in-house, what’s that say about his leadership in 2024?

Guardians 3 might have been the best MCU movie ever. It was right up there.

Gonna be hard to beat that. This years title won’t gross a ton no matter its quality

 

[Stripes]

You do understand that the entire “trajectory” was set under Iger, correct?
He was only gone for 18 months…

And has since blamed chapek for having to reorganize his own previous reorganization

The bombs at the box office were in development long before 2020-21…

And park stagnation? That was set along time ago

The buffoonery of chapek just made it more publicly embarrassing…it didn’t set the course

I don’t know how much was Chapek and how much was Iger. I do know that Chapek and his big mouth drastically inflated the market’s expectations for Disney’s streaming business (despite McCarthy warning him not to publicize those projections which she considered too optimistic) and when it didn’t look like Chapek knew what he was talking about, it created a much bigger crash in the stock.

The decision to remove financial accountability from the creatives was a Chapek decision based on an organizational structure that has only worked for one company (albeit a very, very successful company). Iger reorganized the company but then Chapek reorganized it again and messed the whole thing up.

 

[TalkingHead]

Studio entertainment is the creative fuel for the company, but it’s not what brings in the money. Investors want to see Disney’s streaming business generate lucrative returns. The success of films at the box office pales in comparison.

I think there’s several reasons why the slate was pushed back.

(1) To reset customer expectations for streaming release timelines. (Wish still isn’t on Disney+.)
(2) To rework some films that the studio didn’t have confidence in.
(3) It’s likely the strikes had some impact on release timelines
(4) It removed the possibility of bad headlines in the midst of the proxy fight.

But those features are the brand when you get down to it. They’re the things that create addicted fans who buy merch, watch movies over and over, and subscribe to the streaming service for the ancillary series. If the features are losing traction, it’s going to snowball at some point because of the way Disney has fashioned their strategies around interconnectedness. The problem imo is Iger hasn’t come up with any new lane to get new fans; the whole strategy is bleeding the established fans for as long as possible.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don’t know how much was Chapek and how much was Iger. I do know that Chapek and his big mouth drastically inflated the market’s expectations for Disney’s streaming business (despite McCarthy warning him not to publicize those projections which she considered too optimistic) and when it didn’t look like Chapek knew what he was talking about, it created a much bigger crash in the stock.

The decision to remove financial accountability from the creatives was a Chapek decision based on an organizational structure that has only worked for one company (albeit a very, very successful company). Iger reorganized the company but then Chapek reorganized it again and messed the whole thing up.

Chapek is a moron who should never have had that job. He made mistakes with what ended up being minor tinkering. The Florida thing being really just something foisted upon him he had no tact to handle

But he didn’t set the “course”…he didn’t push 30 MCU movies…bombing LFL by ignoring its fandom…diluted bad Pixar sequels and live action remakes to the point no one cares…

That was all Bob. And Bob ultimately is to blame for chapek too.

That’s what came out in the stock advisory recommendations over the last few weeks…even the ones not pro peltz

You see two things:

1. The current group should be maintained to ensure succession
2. The board should be shook up to ensure succession.

In the end…I think I win. Because all this aside - one thing here has to happen.

 

[Stripes]

But those features are the brand when you get down to it. They’re the things that create addicted fans who buy merch, watch movies over and over, and subscribe to the streaming service for the ancillary series. If the features are losing traction, it’s going to snowball at some point because of the way Disney has fashioned their strategies around interconnectedness. The problem imo is Iger hasn’t come up with any new lane to get new fans; the whole strategy is bleeding the established fans for as long as possible.

That’s what I meant by “creative fuel.”

What would a new “lane” look like to you?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That’s what I meant by “creative fuel.”

What would a new “lane” look like to you?

Well I’ll tell you what it’s not…

Toy Story 5 and frozen 4

And in the parks…losing attendance at your flagship while increasing prices and raising on the ground ire to cover for the loss in revenue from defection

 

[BrianLo]

Yeah…

Or it’s being pumped due to buybacks and the proxy battle

If Disney + makes a million bucks a quarter…that gonna change anything?

It’s the “climate”…not the product.
Wall Street as a whole hasn’t been this drunk in maybe ever…

How much do you think buybacks change the stock price? If you believe in an efficient market - the market cap remains exactly fixed and share prices increase to match. Which since this is like a 1% buyback means 1%. Technically speaking that’s already been priced in.

So where is the other 49%?

Disney plus isn’t going to make a million bucks a quarter, the market is saying Disney plus has long term double digit Netflix adjacent earnings potential, it is forward looking. If you think that’s totally bonkers the stock price will collapse when that proves to not be possible.

 

[TalkingHead]

That’s what I meant by “creative fuel.”

What would a new “lane” look like to you?

How would you assess the creative fuel in the Disney engine over the past ten years?

New lane would be any fresh starting line that attracts new audiences. If big-brained Bob can’t figure out how to do that, maybe he should put some of the posters here on the payroll.

 

[Stripes]

But he didn’t set the “course”…he didn’t push 30 MCU movies…bombing LFL by ignoring its fandom…diluted bad Pixar sequels and live action remakes to the point no one cares…

The fact of the matter is that the MCU has gone through a creative rough patch driven by a necessity to fuel Disney+ subscriptions.

bombing LFL by ignoring its fandom

I assume you are referring to Lucasfilm. Honestly, I’ve never been much of Star Wars fan. Although I certainly haven’t loved everything Lucasfilm has produced under Disney, I actually enjoy some of the Disney produced content more than the original trilogy. Not the sequel trilogy though. I hated the main characters right from the start.

diluted bad Pixar sequels

Toy Story 4 wasn’t great. But Inside Out 2 looks amazing to me.

live action remakes to the point no one cares…

I’ll give you that.

 

[Tha Realest]

Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Frankly, I have no idea why a shareholder, after listening to Peltz’s ideas and researching his past performance, would want him in the boardroom. At best, he’d be a waste of space.

Why would you want an entire board room full of clapping seals, which is what they have now?

What is so frightening about one differing voice out of a dozen?

 

[Casper Gutman]

How would you assess the creative fuel in the Disney engine over the past ten years?

New lane would be any fresh starting line that attracts new audiences. If big-brained Bob can’t figure out how to do that, maybe he should put some of the posters here on the payroll.

You didn’t answer the question.

 

[johnparkhopper]

Interesting

The New York City Retirement System plans to vote in support Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and the company's board, rejecting the nominees of two hedge funds, including Nelson Peltz's Trian, in a bruising boardroom battle.

 

[Andrew C]

What is so frightening about one differing voice out of a dozen?

You lose the room full of clapping seals?

 

[el_super]

New lane would be any fresh starting line that attracts new audiences. If big-brained Bob can’t figure out how to do that, maybe he should put some of the posters here on the payroll.

There is no magic bullet solution to creating new content to drive additional audiences. If there was Hollywood would have discovered it ages ago.

The tried and true method is one that Disney has generally embraced: put a LOT of content out there and hope something sticks. It's the method that guarantees the most return over time. Disney is poised well to continue to do that. They have the money, they have the connections, the collaborations with creators and still relatively good relations with Hollywood. They will save some money in making fewer movies, sure, but the plan never really changes.

 

[Brian]

You lose the room full of clapping seals?

Only 11 people would join Bob in his private shower instead of the customary 12.