NEWS: Former CEO Bob Chapek Makes First Public Comments Since Being Fired by Disney in 2022

Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek has remained silent since leaving his position at The Walt Disney Company in 2022. In January 2024, Chapek announced that he was appointed to a new board of directors with Masimo, a global medical technology company, but the former CEO has avoided any sort of Disney discussions.

That is, until now. Bob Chapek was asked to comment on (Disney-owned) ESPN, and his opinions may shed some light on his differences with CEO Bob Iger. 

In an interview with CNBC, Bob Chapek made his first public comments since leaving Disney in 2022. While, notably, Chapek declined to comment on anything other than ESPN’s future, he did have two main points on ESPN.

CNBC is making a documentary on ESPN’s digital strategy titled ESPN’s Fight for Dominance and interviewed Chapek for the film. In the interview, Chapek explained that he does not think Disney-owned ESPN should add minority partners, stating, “Strategically, I don’t really see a benefit in bringing on yet another minority partner into ESPN.”

For context, Disney CEO Bob Iger previously teased the idea of selling a minority stake in ESPN. Iger wants to strengthen ESPN, either through content or technology, ahead of the launch of the new direct-to-consumer offering. The new DTC service is set to launch by fall 2025, pending any legal hangups.

Despite Iger’s earlier statements about selling a portion of Disney’s ESPN stake, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro countered, “It’s not about equity,” adding, “It’s not about these partners taking an ownership interest in ESPN. That is something, as Bob [Iger] has said, that we are very much open to, but this is about partnership and accelerating the launch or the adoption of ESPN flagship.”

So, how does Chapek’s opinion factor in here? Well, Chapek stated that he disagrees with the idea of adding a new ESPN partner, but added that the deal may be necessary to give Disney some cash for a separate streaming deal with Comcast. In the Comcast deal, Disney agreed to purchase Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu for at least $8.6 billion. Here, Chapek conceded, “it’s possible that maybe that cash itself is what they’re after.”

Chapek also shared his thoughts on changing ESPN’s structure. He discussed creating a “centralized hub” where viewers can search and locate any ESPN game “no matter which company owns the rights to air it,” per CNBC.  Just like viewers can search for a movie on the homepage of their smart TV and then be directed to the platform that owns it, Chapek wants ESPN to act as “a central clearinghouse.”

Chapek argued, “How do you make yourself indispensable to the sports viewer so that they stay on with you as you evolve over to a streaming world? I think solving that problem would be one big way to do it,” according to CNBC. So, while Chapek remains silent on his time with Disney, it seems clear he still has opinions about what’s best for the company.

In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.

Disney CEO Bob Iger Is Bringing Back a Controversial Trend Started by Chapek

 

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