Called to the rescue by Disney, just a few months after retiring, Bob Iger no longer hides that the company will have to make serious changes in the future, the boss of the superpowerful company having notably dropped that linear television was not “may not be essential” for company business…
A way to make it clear that the “traditional” television channels purchased over the years by Disney, such as ABC, FX, Disney Channel, Freeform or National Geographic are for sale?
For now, it’s still unclear, but by explaining that linear television (classic television) was in an even worse state than he imagined, Bob Iger in any case confirmed that the whole ecosystem was going to have to change.
And that goes for ESPN too, which is also owned by the Walt Disney Company, even though it’s run separately.
According to CNBCthe sports channel, which has multiplied the layoffs lately, would thus be preparing its transfer, from a traditional television channel to an online streaming service.
A partnership that would raise questions
To do this, it would like to join forces with the major American sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, etc.), the latter investing in the channel, recovering minority shares, in order to obtain better control of the broadcasts and the broadcast program of the matches, the partnership allowing, on the other hand, Disney to offer more exclusive content, to ensure a financial safety net and to avoid auctions for the untenable rights (in the state of its current finances…) with Apple, Google or even Amazon.
However, as CNBC also notes, such a partnership raises questions, as ESPN’s competitors (Comcast, Fox, Amazon, Paramount Global, Apple, etc.) may consider themselves at a disadvantage, while the independence of ESPN journalists vis-à-vis a league that holds shares in the channel would also be in question.
Also remains the big question of the influence of the strategy of Disney (historical partner of the league) on the next TV agreement, which determines the entire financial balance of the NBA.
