Disney CEO Bob Chapek has expressed interest in integrating Hulu with Disney+ after the company buys the remaining rights from Comcast.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs el Miércoles Communacopia & Tech conference, Chapek said he was interested in a faster timeline until 2024 to buy the remaining stake on Hulu and his desire to eliminate “friction” for consumers when they need to jump between them. Disney+ and Hulu apps to access content.
“There is a bit of friction among consumers in terms of having to switch between apps, so I think we can avoid that in the long run. But 2024 is not that far away,” Chapek said. “We have to have full ownership of Hulu to include it on Disney+. We would like to get to the end point sooner, but that obviously requires some leaning to the other side, with reasonable conditions to get there. And if we could get there, I’d be happy to try to facilitate that.”
Disney’s chief executive also reiterated his interest in keeping ESPN alive, despite recent calls from activist investor Dan Loeb to sell or spin off the sports brand. (On September 11, Loeb backtracked, citing “a better understanding of ESPN’s potential as an independent company.”)
“We’ve been very strong supporters, although there’s a lot of market demand to sell it or spin it off, or there’s a lot of people interested in acquiring ESPN, but we like to defend ourselves.” he said. . “We like how it looks. We like our long-term strategic plan and are confident that the best place for ESPN is The Walt Disney Company.
As for Disney’s global broadcasting presence, Chapek said the company remains “Indian” despite having been awarded the Indian Premier League cricket broadcasting rights.
“We made a surgical plan to try to get linear rights through the IPL because we knew the market had gotten a little frothy for us with the digital rights,” Chapek said. Instead, the company acquired the linear and digital rights from another cricket league, the International Cricket Council, for what Chapek called “a much better value” and licensed those TV rights to another broadcaster.
“It’s a great example of trying to look at different forms of value, not saying ‘on, off’ or ‘yes or no’, but what we’re doing as we’re trying to create a scenario that will be.” Creative for our shareholders [that enables] We will continue to play the growth game in this particular market.”
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
