Entertainment
As Disney CEO Bob Iger prepares to hand off the reins of the company to his successor later this year, he offered some key advice during the company’s fiscal first quarter earnings call on Monday.
“I believe that in the world that changes as much as it does that in some form or another, trying to preserve the status quo is a mistake, and I’m certain that my successor will not do that,” Iger told analysts. “So they’ll be handed, I think, a good hand in terms of the strength of the company, a number of opportunities to grow, and also the exhortation that in a world that changes, you also have to continue to change and evolve.”
Disney plans to announce Iger’s successor in early 2026, with the company’s board reportedly set to vote on the matter this week. Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro is the widely anticipated frontrunner to replace Iger.
After leaving Disney in 2020, Iger returned in 2022 following the disastrous ouster of his successor-turned-predecessor Bob Chapek.
Prior to handing off the reins to Chapek, Iger served as Disney’s CEO for 15 years from 2005 to 2020, during which time he oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox. He has famously been a well-liked CEO — delaying his departure date multiple times.
Though Iger’s new contract runs through the end of the year, he has reportedly signaled to associates that he may step down before then.
“When I came back three years ago, I had a tremendous amount that needed fixing. But anyone who runs a company also knows that it can’t just be about fixing. It has to be preparing a company for its future and really putting place, taking steps to create opportunities for growth,” Iger said. “The good news is that the company is in much better shape today than it was three years ago, because we have done a lot of fixing, but we’ve also put in place a number of opportunities, including the investment across our experiences business to essentially expand in every location we do business and on the high seas.”
D’Amaro oversees that $60 billion investment through 2030, which will go towards new cruise ships, resorts, themed lands, attractions and technologies.
In addition to D’Amaro, Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitario are under consideration for the top job.
All four candidates have gone through a “rigorous” preparation process that included mentorship from Iger, external coaching and engagement with all 10 of the board’s directors. (Disney’s board is poised to expand to 11 members after the company nominated for Apple executive Jeff Williams to stand election at its 2026 annual meeting in March.)
The years-long search process is led by the Disney board’s succession planning committee, which includes chairman James Gorman, who led his own search for a successor after an 18-year run as Morgan Stanley’s CEO, and directors Mary Barra, Jeremy Darroch and Calvin McDonald.
In fiscal 2025 alone, the succession planning committee met five times. It reported to the full board at every scheduled meeting and reserved time to meet without Iger present as appropriate. It also discussed succession with Iger present at least once a year.
As part of the discussions, the board’s compensation committee reviewed and considered shareholder feedback to determine a new CEO pay package when succession takes place and design an executive compensation program aimed at “driving the creation of long-term shareholder value.” In 2025, Iger was paid $45.8 million, an 11.5% increase from $41.1 million in 2024.
Iger’s latest term has included a number of milestones, such as Disney+ reaching streaming profitability, the launch of the ESPN Unlimited streaming service, the sale of Star India to Reliance industries, acquiring full control of Hulu and a majority stake in Fubo and a landmark deal with OpenAI.
But it also included a fair number of challenges, including the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike in 2023, a proxy battle with activist investor Nelson Peltz, the failed launch of Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery joint streaming venture Venu Sports, a $16 million legal settlement between ABC News and President Donald Trump, box office struggles and the temporary suspension of ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel.
During the company’s first quarter results, the streaming and experiences businesses were the two major bright spots.
“We have a healthy competition now at our company in terms of which of those two businesses is going to essentially prevail as the No. 1 driver of profitability for the company,” Iger said on the earnings call. “But I’m confident that both have that ability, meaning both have the ability to grow nicely into the future, giving all the investments that we’ve made and the trajectory that we’re on.”
Looking ahead, Disney expects entertainment operating income to be similar to the same quarter a year ago, with a streaming profit of approximately $500 million, a roughly $200 million year-over-year increase. The rest of the entertainment segment is expected to post an operating profit of $700 million.
Meanwhile, experiences operating income growth will be modest due to factors including “international visitation headwinds” at its U.S. theme parks, pre-launch costs from the Disney Adventure cruise ship and pre-opening costs from Disneyland Paris’ World of Frozen.
For full year fiscal 2026, Disney expects double-digit operating income growth for entertainment, weighted to the second half of the year, and a streaming operating margin of 10%. Disney expects high-single digital growth in experiences operating income compared to fiscal 2025, weighted to the second half of the year.
Shares of Disney fell 5.7% on Monday following the earnings announcement. The stock is down 10.9% in the past six months, 6.75% in the past year and 41% in the past five years.
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Lucas Manfredi