We talked about this in our column in November 2022. Currently, Disney is going through a complex transformation in the entertainment industry, where more and more players are emerging. In this environment of uncertainty, the board of the big-eared firm decides to recall Bob Iger, who has been in charge for 15 years. CA’s tone says a lot about the gravity of the situation: “The Board determined that Bob Iger is in a unique position to lead the company at this crucial time as Disney enters an increasingly complex period of industry transformation.
Bob Iger’s return to the head of the global entertainment giant will be the source of many theories, and one of them caught the attention of the media and industry experts at the time: What if Apple had bought Disney?
Disney’s acquisition by Apple? A plausible theory for many
Since then, this possibility has been continually refuted by Disney’s thinking minds, which hasn’t stopped. This theory was developed to gain popularity among several industry veterans.. In any case, that’s what our colleagues at The Hollywood Reporter are saying, always aware of what’s going on behind the scenes of 7th art and the small screen.
Therefore, according to an observer quoted by the American media, This possibility should not be excluded. : “I don’t think Apple will buy the company in its current form. But if you see Bob start to sell the business, it looks like he’s getting ready for a sale. And it is clear that there is no stronger buyer than Apple.” he believes.
However, this theory has been discussed recently, especially on Mr. Iger’s CNBC channel. aimed at getting rid of certain assets on TVLike ABC and FX channels, even Freeform and National Geographic. Recently, the big-eared firm announced that it plans to sell its India operations, which it still bought from Fox.
Recent Disney maneuvers support hypothesis
This possible takeover of Disney by Apple is central to the predictions of some WallStreet analysts. This is the case of Laura Martin, an analyst at Needham & Co, who has been supporting this hypothesis for several months. “Disney will be acquired over the next three years. If they don’t, Disney will be competing with these tech companies (Apple, Amazon, etc.) in an industry that we believe is getting worse in the economy.” he declares.
Certainly, such an operation would immediately find itself in the FTC’s sight., federal trade agency. However, the fact that Activision-Blizzard King could not be taken over by Microsoft shows that such an agreement can be successful. This is a similar situation, where a tech giant and platform owner (Apple) wants to buy a content company (Disney) first.
And then we must remember an important detail. Bob Iger and Steve Jobs were close friends. And the current Disney boss wrote a sentence in his memoir The Ride of a Lifetime that resonates strongly today: “I believe that if Steve were alive, we would merge our companies, or at least discuss the possibility very seriously.”
Source : Hollywood Reporter
