Walt Disney may resume making films and television shows for its rivals, Chief Executive Bob Iger said on March 9. In recent years, Disney’s production resources were being used to launch and grow its marquee Disney+ steaming service.
"As we look to reduce the content that we're creating for our own platforms, there probably are opportunities to license to third parties," Iger said. He said for a while, this couldn't possibly be done because the firm was favouring its own streaming platforms. “But if we get to a point where we need less content for these platforms, and we still have the capacity of producing that content, why not use it to grow revenue?," Iger told the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco.
He said streaming services have traditionally relied on a volume of fresh content to attract subscribers. He hopes to embrace a more curated HBO-like approach of making a few high-quality shows built around its major brands, as he works to lift
Disney+ to a profit.
During the conference, Iger also mentioned the possibility of licensing content to third parties, noting that Seth MacFarlane's animated series "Family Guy" draw viewers both on Disney-owned Hulu, as well as on the Roku streaming service.
Iger made a
comeback at Disney in November, months after he retired, as the entertainment company looked to boost investor confidence and profits at its streaming media unit.
Earlier in February, the company announced it would
implement 7,000 job cuts as part of an effort to save $5.5 billion in costs and return power to Disney's creative executives. The plan prompted activist investor Nelson Peltz to end his quest for a board seat, saying he was happy with Iger's restructuring.
