It’s being rumoured that Apple might be thinking of purchasing Disney and this comes after it was revealed that Bob Chapek had been replaced by Bob Iger as Disney’s CEO. This new rumour comes via a report from The Wrap which claims that Bob Iger might have been brought in as Disney’s CEO to help a sale to Apple.
The Wrap is reporting that a studio insider informed them that Disney might be looking to sell to Apple. Here’s what the studio insider had to say on the matter:
This is the pinnacle deal for the ultimate dealmaker.
It came as quite a shock when it was revealed that Bob Iger was going to be coming back as Disney’s CEO. It had been a tricky few years since Iger left the role back in 2020. He was replaced by Bob Chapek, and the wheels came off the Chapek bus pretty quickly. The new CEO was reportedly the cause of many issues inside the company. There was also the whole mess with Scarlett Johansson and her Black Widow deal. The actress ended up seeing the company and they then had to settle outside of court.
Could Apple be looking at buying Disney?
Credit: Getty
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There have been rumours for quite some time suggesting that Apple might be looking at purchasing a Hollywood studio. There were rumours that they might have been interested in purchasing MGM Studios, but Amazon pipped them to that deal.
There have also been rumours for quite some time that Disney and Apple might go through some sort of merger. The two companies have been pretty close over the years. One of Apple’s founders, Steve Jobs, was one of the three founding fathers of Pixar Studios, which is now part of Disney.
Apple has started its own streaming platform in Apple TV Plus, but it hasn’t reached the heights of Disney Plus, and I think that might be the key area of interest for the tech giants. I have a feeling that Disney Plus might be why they’d even be interested in purchasing the iconic Hollywood movie studio.
Added to that, the fact that Disney owns some of the world’s most lucrative and popular franchises, especially after they’re acquired 20th Century Fox. They have the likes of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Indiana Jones, Predator, Alien… The list of Disney-owned franchise is literally endless.
What would be in it for the tech giants?
Credit: Disney
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Moreover, Disney also owns the likes of Hulu and ESPN, which would also be a huge pull for Apple. Moreover, in three years, Disney Plus has acquired a little over 164 million subscribers. If you factor in Hulu and ESPN, Disney Plus has overtaken Netflix in total subscribers. These are numbers that Apple can only dream of for Apple TV+.
And it’s not like Apple hasn’t publicly stated its interest in purchasing a big company like Disney. In a call with investors this past April, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the following:
We’re always looking to buy companies, we acquire a lot of smaller companies and we’ll continue to do that to add more talent to the IP. We don’t discount anything big if the opportunity presents itself. I won’t be looking at our inventory with you on this call, but we’re always looking.
Cook then added that Apple “would not rule out acquiring a large company” and that “the main drive was to secure strong intellectual property and big names.” Disney has both: secure strong intellectual properties and big names. They have the biggest of both now that Bob Iger is back in the picture.
What do you make of this news? Do you think Apple is going to buy Disney in the not-so-distant future? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments below.
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