• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

3

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

3

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Arts & Entertainment

Disney CEO Bob Iger Talks Future With Fox, the Murdochs, and Those Presidential Bid Rumors

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 14, 2017, 12:23 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger made the interview rounds on Thursday morning after his company made official its historic agreement to buy the bulk of 21st Century Fox in a $52.4 billion all-stock deal.

Iger appeared on Good Morning America on ABC (a network owned by Disney) as well as CNBC’s Squawk on the Street on Thursday morning to discuss the massive deal, which (if it is approved by regulators) will drastically alter the media and entertainment landscape. Iger crowed about “the quality of the assets” Disney is picking up in the deal, which includes Fox’s film and TV studio, along with various cable networks and regional sports networks as well as Fox’s stake in Hulu (giving Disney majority control of the streaming service). Iger also noted that Disney will also expand its international footprint through the deal, thanks to Fox’s media assets in Europe and Asia, including European pay-TV giant Sky TV (Fox is in the process of buying the portion of Sky TV it does not already own).

“We’re getting high-quality content, we’re getting global reach, we’re getting access to new technologies, and we’re also getting great talent,” Iger told CNBC.

To that last point, Iger also talked in both interviews about the prospect of working with one particular member of the Murdoch family. James Murdoch, the son of 21st Century Fox founder Rupert Murdoch and now the company’s CEO, has been floated as a potential successor to Iger at Disney after the acquisition. “James and I will be talking over the next number of months. He’s going to be integral to the integration process, and he and I will be discussing whether there is a role for him or not at our company,” Iger said on Good Morning America.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Iger also shed some light on how the acquisition of the Fox assets will “accelerate” Disney’s planned push into the competitive streaming entertainment market, as the media giant says it will launch two separate subscription streaming services over the next two years. While Fox’s portfolio of regional sports networks undoubtedly bolsters Disney’s planned ESPN streaming service, the deal also aligns perfectly with Disney’s planned entertainment service that will compete with Netflix. “If you look at the world today, consumers are consuming far more content, entertainment experiences, than ever before,” Iger told CNBC. “Quality really matters, but so does the means of access.”

Iger went on to talk about the benefit of controlling an established streaming service like Hulu, which Disney can use to house programming from both its own portfolio and Fox’s that won’t be available on its other two planned streaming services. “Our goal on the direct-to-consumer front is the United States is to go out with essentially a family-oriented product with Disney and Pixar and Marvel and [Star Wars-creator Lucasfilm], and that’s going to launch in 2019; a sports product from ESPN in 2018; and, we’ll probably be a more adult-oriented product from Hulu and give consumers the ability to buy all three or to buy them individually,” Iger said on CNBC.

Finally, Iger also addressed his latest contract extension, also announced today, which will keep him at Disney through 2021 and would seem to preclude the rumored presidential bid he had reportedly been contemplating. Iger was adamant on CNBC that he “hadn’t made my decisions about what I was going to do when I left Disney” at the end of his previous contract, in the summer of 2019. “I believe strongly in this combination [of Disney and Fox] and knew that, if we pursued it, that it would require me staying longer, and I thought that was the right thing to do,” Iger said.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Photo: Asha Sharma
Big TechMicrosoft
Exclusive: Xbox’s CEO on 3,200 layoffs, four studios cut, and her blunt warning that ‘we spread ourselves too thin’
By Sebastian HerreraJuly 6, 2026
18 hours ago
David Senra smiles in front of a white background
Startups & VentureTerm Sheet
David Senra, your favorite billionaire’s favorite podcaster, has turned down every acquisition offer. Here’s why
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 6, 2026
24 hours ago
Meet Atlas, the humanoid robot that delivered the game ball.
InnovationSports
Meet the soccer-playing humanoid robot that just delivered the game ball at the Brazil v. Norway FIFA World Cup match
By Catherina GioinoJuly 5, 2026
2 days ago
Seventh film in animated franchise beats the fifth installment of another cartoon juggernaut at the box office
Arts & EntertainmentMovies
Seventh film in animated franchise beats the fifth installment of another cartoon juggernaut at the box office
By The Associated PressJuly 5, 2026
2 days ago
k
CommentaryBox office
How Hollywood’s youngest filmmakers are exposing Gen Z’s real problem with AI
By Reid LitmanJuly 5, 2026
2 days ago
David Senra poses in a black shirt in front of bookshelves
Startups & VentureMedia
How David Senra built the podcast the world’s most powerful CEOs can’t stop listening to
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 5, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
2 days ago
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
19 hours ago
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Success
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
By Preston ForeJuly 4, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 6, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 6, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 6, 2026
22 hours ago
Gen Z was 'jaded about employment before we ever entered the workforce'—now psychologists say the stare has hardened into something worse
Economy
Gen Z was 'jaded about employment before we ever entered the workforce'—now psychologists say the stare has hardened into something worse
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 6, 2026
1 day ago
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.