Richard Plepler

What Skipper is saying here is that Disney and ESPN made the content. ESPN, for instance, racked up sports rights, cultivated on-air talent, and expanded into narrative documentaries. But it never once had to send a bill to a customer. So maybe there was something more holding Disney back from making a switch to streaming. Something more than pie charts and future modeling.

What Skipper is saying here is that Disney and ESPN made the content. ESPN, for instance, racked up sports rights, cultivated on-air talent, and expanded into narrative documentaries. But it never once had to send a bill to a customer. So maybe there was something more holding Disney back from making a switch to streaming. Something more than pie charts and future modeling.

What Skipper is saying here is that Disney and ESPN made the content. ESPN, for instance, racked up sports rights, cultivated on-air talent, and expanded into narrative documentaries. But it never once had to send a bill to a customer. So maybe there was something more holding Disney back from making a switch to streaming. Something more than pie charts and future modeling.

Maybe it was Disney's own understanding of its place in the world order. Disney wasn't a tech company like Netflix, nor was it a distributor also like Netflix. Early on, Disney did partner with other big media companies to build a Hulu, but it mostly existed to make next-day reruns of broadcast shows available online. You originally didn't even need a paid subscription to watch.

Maybe it was Disney's own understanding of its place in the world order. Disney wasn't a tech company like Netflix, nor was it a distributor also like Netflix. Early on, Disney did partner with other big media companies to build a Hulu, but it mostly existed to make next-day reruns of broadcast shows available online. You originally didn't even need a paid subscription to watch.

Maybe it was Disney's own understanding of its place in the world order. Disney wasn't a tech company like Netflix, nor was it a distributor also like Netflix. Early on, Disney did partner with other big media companies to build a Hulu, but it mostly existed to make next-day reruns of broadcast shows available online. You originally didn't even need a paid subscription to watch.

But fully owning and operating a Disney-branded streaming platform just did not feel like the company's lane, and it didn't feel like a good investment either. So why not dip a toe in and let another company handle the hard stuff? A company that could eat the cost of maintaining the platform. Someone to deal with the people.

But fully owning and operating a Disney-branded streaming platform just did not feel like the company's lane, and it didn't feel like a good investment either. So why not dip a toe in and let another company handle the hard stuff? A company that could eat the cost of maintaining the platform. Someone to deal with the people.

But fully owning and operating a Disney-branded streaming platform just did not feel like the company's lane, and it didn't feel like a good investment either. So why not dip a toe in and let another company handle the hard stuff? A company that could eat the cost of maintaining the platform. Someone to deal with the people.

A partner who would pay Disney a lot of money for the privilege of streaming its movies for them. Disney turned to the incumbent.

A partner who would pay Disney a lot of money for the privilege of streaming its movies for them. Disney turned to the incumbent.

A partner who would pay Disney a lot of money for the privilege of streaming its movies for them. Disney turned to the incumbent.

Disney had already worked out a fairly lucrative deal in 2010 for Netflix to stream some ABC shows. But now, in 2012, Disney was about to make an even bigger deal. Netflix would pay Disney about $300 million a year for the rights to stream the latest Disney movies. Some stuff from the vault, too.

Disney had already worked out a fairly lucrative deal in 2010 for Netflix to stream some ABC shows. But now, in 2012, Disney was about to make an even bigger deal. Netflix would pay Disney about $300 million a year for the rights to stream the latest Disney movies. Some stuff from the vault, too.

Disney had already worked out a fairly lucrative deal in 2010 for Netflix to stream some ABC shows. But now, in 2012, Disney was about to make an even bigger deal. Netflix would pay Disney about $300 million a year for the rights to stream the latest Disney movies. Some stuff from the vault, too.

For Disney, this was sort of like free money from Netflix, and the company got to be where consumers were. This partnership would allow Disney to stay in its lane. But the deal had some unintended consequences.

For Disney, this was sort of like free money from Netflix, and the company got to be where consumers were. This partnership would allow Disney to stay in its lane. But the deal had some unintended consequences.

For Disney, this was sort of like free money from Netflix, and the company got to be where consumers were. This partnership would allow Disney to stay in its lane. But the deal had some unintended consequences.

Here's Bob Iger talking to Kara Swisher in 2022 during a brief window of time when he was not Disney CEO.

Here's Bob Iger talking to Kara Swisher in 2022 during a brief window of time when he was not Disney CEO.