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

[TalkingHead]

ESPN’s had a red letter day with college football fans. Another achievement for the Iger era.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I want to be entertained - that's the sole metric of why I will invest in a film or not (ok, some I will watch just to be in the know for some other continuity needed). So when Iger acknowledges that shortcoming and thinks it should be a priority, I will say "yes, its what I've been wanting" -- because I want films/projects that are entertaining. That's not a hard 1:1 connection to make.

I also like Films/projects that are more than just popcorn fanfare too... but if you have one without the other... you're going to have a hard time pulling me in. So this is why I really care less about "well this film is important for promoting... " whatever arguments. It's not what I track, and its pretty unlikely to make me invest or sit through a film. If it's there and great along with the film actually being a great film.. fantastic!

Things that break down barriers - I'm all for. But the thing to celebrate is the freedom that enables... not purely the act itself. Meaning... I care more that whatever creative choice someone makes is doable... then I celebrate them just for making a statement by doing it. A great example of that is the gratuitous shoots that were common in many early 80s films.. and has been the trend on a ton of HBO projects in years. It's just forced and overdone that "ok, here we get the one mandatory shot..." that it basically becomes it's own thing instead of just being a great part of the film.

So that's why I don't care for changes done in films -just- to promote something or make a statement.. I just want to soak in and enjoy the result.. not get tied up in the explicit action taken or why. I'm a consumer... not a film historian.

I think this is the big issue. A lot of modern creatives don't know how to actually include their messages in their art; a lot of them are very blunt about it, the type of stuff you'd see in a snarky Tweet.

A lot of what they say or show is actually important & should be shown. But it's just not done well nowadays. The writing & production quality are going down but they expect to us like it just because of what it's talking about. We used to get both.

 

[Trauma]

Activist investor calls on Disney to add Nelson Peltz to board

The media giant's board would benefit from the addition of Peltz, Ancora contends, after an "extended period of absentminded governance, ineffective...

www.marketwatch.com

 

[flynnibus]

Activist investor calls on Disney to add Nelson Peltz to board

The media giant's board would benefit from the addition of Peltz, Ancora contends, after an "extended period of absentminded governance, ineffective...

www.marketwatch.com

lol...

"Mr. Peltz (or a qualified designee) would make a fantastic addition to Disney’s Board"

aka "[anyone] would make a fantastic addition..." -- That's some hard core vetting!

 

[pdude81]

Activist investor calls on Disney to add Nelson Peltz to board

The media giant's board would benefit from the addition of Peltz, Ancora contends, after an "extended period of absentminded governance, ineffective...

www.marketwatch.com

Interesting. The Ancora statement also takes shots at Blackrock for opposing Peltz on multiple fronts. It's not just a statement of suport for Peltz. All this crap is getting murkier. Doesn't read like a neutral party, though I don't know who is at this point.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Interesting. The Ancora statement also takes shots at Blackrock for opposing Peltz on multiple fronts. It's not just a statement of suport for Peltz. All this crap is getting murkier. Doesn't read like a neutral party, though I don't know who is at this point.

Indeed...

...But despite a fiscal fourth-quarter report that showed gains in Disney+ subscribers , revenue growth of 5% and earnings per share that topped Wall Street expectations, Peltz and Trian found continued fault with Iger’s leadership and the languishing Disney stock price...​

​

...The letter also slapped back at the investment firm Blackwells Capital, another large shareholder that last week urged Peltz to end what it called his “ego-driven campaign.” Ancora called the firm’s principal, Jason Aintabi, “a publicity-seeking greenmailer with a questionable personal and business history” who opposes Peltz’s efforts despite having “made billions of dollars over many decades” through shareholder activism...​

Nelson Peltz's Fight for Disney Board Seats Gets New Ally in Investment Firm Ancora Holdings - TheWrap

The boutique firm issued a public letter supporting the activist investor's efforts

www.thewrap.com

So, I guess that Acora missed that Peltz doesn't want a seat because he's publicly pushed for two. And reporting is he wants more.

And they missed that Peltz hasn't helped every company whose board he joined.

Very uninformed, slanted, and churlish on the part of Acora.

 

[Magic Crush Drop]

View attachment 756914

Disney explicitly says that they receive good scripts that they pass on because of DEI criteria. Here, the chairman of entertainment for Walt Disney Television says that a show about a white family is an automatic no-go. I mean, how more obvious does Disney have to be before people believe it?

Counter point: Hasn't this story have already been told multiple times.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Bob sent ME a Christmas card!!

 

[Tom P.]

Counter point: Hasn't this story have already been told multiple times.

What story? We don't know the story. We only know there was a white family. Surely you aren't suggesting that it is not possible to have any new, original stories involving white people?

 

[denyuntilcaught]

What story? We don't know the story. We only know there was a white family. Surely you aren't suggesting that it is not possible to have any new, original stories involving white people?

Let's not be dense. Of course it's possible, but we can't say whether or not the rejected script was a "new, original story" or not. I'm interpreting Magic Crush Drop's point that in the case it wasn't a new, original story that that may have been justifiable in turning the script down.

There's no problem with turning a script down simply because it's a familiar story with familiar casting (for example, white characters with black neighbors). There's no problem with prioritizing a script that may showcase an unconventional approach to storytelling (i.e. black characters with white neighbors), as the latter is likely a story that hasn't been told in as great of quantity as the former.

(using the neighbor trope as an example, btw)

 

[Tom P.]

Let's not be dense. Of course it's possible, but we can't say whether or not the rejected script was a "new, original story" or not. I'm interpreting Magic Crush Drop's point that in the case it wasn't a new, original story that that may have been justifiable in turning the script down.

There's no problem with turning a script down simply because it's a familiar story with familiar casting (for example, white characters with black neighbors). There's no problem with prioritizing a script that may showcase an unconventional approach to storytelling (i.e. black characters with white neighbors), as the latter is likely a story that hasn't been told in as great of quantity as the former.

(using the neighbor trope as an example, btw)

Those are all great arguments. Except that the executive herself said that it was a good story and that they only turned it down because the main characters were white.

 

[Magic Crush Drop]

I'm interpreting Magic Crush Drop's point that in the case it wasn't a new, original story that that may have been justifiable in turning the script down.

This hit the nail of my point. How many sitcoms do we need where the perspective is a white, middle to upper income, suburban family? There should be variety of perspectives here.

 

[Magic Crush Drop]

Those are all great arguments. Except that the executive herself said that it was a good story and that they only turned it down because the main characters were white.

She may not articulated her point as clear as she could of. I honestly believe she meant that the story is well written but does not offer anything new and interesting (perspectives, challenging the audience/genre).

 

[HauntedPirate]

She may not articulated her point as clear as she could have. I honestly believe she meant that the story is well written but does not offer anything new and interesting (perspectives, challenging the audience/genre).

I think she said exactly what she meant. Few upper execs at Disney misspeak or go off-script. Those that do are rarely kept around long. See: Chapek, Bob.

 

[Tom P.]

She may not articulated her point as clear as she could of. I honestly believe she meant that the story is well written but does not offer anything new and interesting (perspectives, challenging the audience/genre).

Respectfully, I think you're stretching here. This was a discussion with a top Disney TV executive and the entire subject was on diversity and inclusion in their programming. The entire point of her telling the story was to illustrate the steps that Disney is taking to have more diversity in their content. She very plainly stated that they received a script and that it was a good one, but that they chose to turn it down because the main characters were white. She even emphasized the point by explaining that the neighbors were black, but that wasn't good enough any more.

I think she said exactly what she meant: that Disney is simply not going to make any programming about white characters any more. On something that significant, a top TV executive does not "misspeak."

 

[WoundedDreamer]

I still think Iger is safe until next year. It's likely Blackrock and several other big investors were some of the key players that helped to restore Iger's management. 2023 has been one of the worst years in the company's history. I don't think the Walt Disney Company has been this beleaguered since the early 2000s. 2023 highlights include:

1) A massive flop from Lucasfilm
2) A massive flop from Marvel
3) A mediocre box office performance from Pixar
4) A massive flop from Walt Disney Animation
5) A massive flop from Disney Pictures
6) Long actors and writers strikes that caused production on many projects to grind to a halt
7) Accelerating decline at the linear tv channels
8) Access to Disney Linear channels being cut off from millions of homes a few months ago
9) The announcement that Disney was considering selling ABC and then backtracking causing morale and confidence in Disney's management to crater among ABC employees
10) Disney+ losses continued to mount
11) The company has been through a period of massive layoffs that have hurt employee morale

Ouch. Now, a lot of these elements were unavoidable. And there is reason for optimism for 2024. These are:
1) Inside Out 2, Mufasa, and other existing franchise movies are in the pipeline. These should be successful.
2) While the cuts to streaming and other parts of the business have been brutal, Disney had purpose behind their decisions. Costs have been reduced and the possibility for streaming to be profitable in 2024 is looking better.
3) Walt Disney World, which was suffering from a post-anniversary hangover in 2023, should return to growth in 2024
4) The international parks will have fully recovered from their COVID-induced slump
5) The Hollywood strikes are over and they can return to content creation
5) If Disney+ can maintain its subscriber growth, then that business will look even more promising

All of these components are reason for optimism. It's too bad that the firm's centenary year was marred by so much awful. But if Iger can navigate the firm to a successful 2024, then he will be in good shape. The calls for new board seats will diminish and he will remain in control. If something happens that causes this movie pipeline to fail, Disney+ to not turn a profit, or the parks to slow their growth, only then will Iger have to fear his major shareholders turning against him. We are nearly to the point where Disney begins to shine again, or Iger is walked out the door. 2024 will be one of the most interesting and impactful years in the Walt Disney Company's history!

 

[el_super]

I think she said exactly what she meant: that Disney is simply not going to make any programming about white characters any more. On something that significant, a top TV executive does not "misspeak."

But ... that's not at all what she was saying. Maybe, if you have had apple pie for 10 Thanksgivings in a row, you want to try Pumpkin Pie? Even if the Apple Pie is really good. And just because you are trying Pumpkin Pie doesn't mean you will never eat Apple Pie again.

 

[el_super]

I still think Iger is safe until next year.

I think he is safe period, unless he tries to extend out his contract past 2026.

On the other hand, if the board doesn't take a serious interest in finding a replacement for him, they should be concerned.

 

[denyuntilcaught]

Respectfully, I think you're stretching here. This was a discussion with a top Disney TV executive and the entire subject was on diversity and inclusion in their programming. The entire point of her telling the story was to illustrate the steps that Disney is taking to have more diversity in their content. She very plainly stated that they received a script and that it was a good one, but that they chose to turn it down because the main characters were white. She even emphasized the point by explaining that the neighbors were black, but that wasn't good enough any more.

You're right, I forgot she mentioned that! Fair point.

That said, if a story is good, but redundant, is it still worth producing?

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

I still think Iger is safe until next year. It's likely Blackrock and several other big investors were some of the key players that helped to restore Iger's management. 2023 has been one of the worst years in the company's history. I don't think the Walt Disney Company has been this beleaguered since the early 2000s. 2023 highlights include:

1) A massive flop from Lucasfilm
2) A massive flop from Marvel
3) A mediocre box office performance from Pixar
4) A massive flop from Walt Disney Animation
5) A massive flop from Disney Pictures
6) Long actors and writers strikes that caused production on many projects to grind to a halt
7) Accelerating decline at the linear tv channels
8) Access to Disney Linear channels being cut off from millions of homes a few months ago
9) The announcement that Disney was considering selling ABC and then backtracking causing morale and confidence in Disney's management to crater among ABC employees
10) Disney+ losses continued to mount
11) The company has been through a period of massive layoffs that have hurt employee morale

Ouch. Now, a lot of these elements were unavoidable. And there is reason for optimism for 2024. These are:
1) Inside Out 2, Mufasa, and other existing franchise movies are in the pipeline. These should be successful.
2) While the cuts to streaming and other parts of the business have been brutal, Disney had purpose behind their decisions. Costs have been reduced and the possibility for streaming to be profitable in 2024 is looking better.
3) Walt Disney World, which was suffering from a post-anniversary hangover in 2023, should return to growth in 2024
4) The international parks will have fully recovered from their COVID-induced slump
5) The Hollywood strikes are over and they can return to content creation
5) If Disney+ can maintain its subscriber growth, then that business will look even more promising

All of these components are reason for optimism. It's too bad that the firm's centenary year was marred by so much awful. But if Iger can navigate the firm to a successful 2024, then he will be in good shape. The calls for new board seats will diminish and he will remain in control. If something happens that causes this movie pipeline to fail, Disney+ to not turn a profit, or the parks to slow their growth, only then will Iger have to fear his major shareholders turning against him. We are nearly to the point where Disney begins to shine again, or Iger is walked out the door. 2024 will be one of the most interesting and impactful years in the Walt Disney Company's history!

Now let's hope we get some actual concrete things announced at D23 2024 for the parks and they break ground on something in the 2024-2025 timeframe.