Disney CEO Iger Confirms No Plans to Sell Linear TV Channels

Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed that unlike Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney has no plans to spin off or sell its linear television networks. After acquiring Comcast's stake in Hulu to gain full ownership, Disney chose to keep its traditional TV channels integrated with its streaming business, citing significant revenue benefits from advertising and subscription fees. Iger emphasized that this integration allows for economies of scale, enabling Disney to turn its streaming business from losses into profitability and to grow margins over time. He noted that linear TV still has enough subscribers to generate meaningful revenue and that managing both linear and streaming under one organization creates synergy. This contrasts with Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast, which have split their linear TV assets into separate companies due to financial pressures and strategic realignments. Iger also pointed out that the newly formed linear TV companies lack streaming assets, which he believes puts them at a disadvantage compared to Disney's unified model.