Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday chief Bob Iger was handing off the top executive post after building the media-entertainment powerhouse into the undisputed Hollywood leader.
Iger, 69, said on a call with analysts that his top priority now is the creative content on which Disney's streaming services and box office revenue depend. "The timing is, in very many ways, odd," Matthew Ball, a venture capitalist who once headed global strategy for Amazon Studios, told AFP. Iger oversaw deals for the animation studio Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion, Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 billion, Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion, and 21st Century Fox last year for $71 billion.
Disney is intent on bulking up its original streaming content, taking advantage of beloved franchises such as"Star Wars" and the Marvel superhero movies."Bob Iger has built Disney into the most admired and successful media and entertainment company, and I have been lucky to enjoy a front-row seat as a member of his leadership team," Chapek said.