Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said Thursday that the studio may resume making movies and TV shows for its rivals, marking a departure from recent years when its production resources were used to launch and develop the Disney+ steam service.
Iger told the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco that streaming services have traditionally relied on the quantity of fresh content to draw subscribers. He said he hopes to take a more curated HBO-like approach of making some high-quality shows built around major brands as he works to spice up profits from Disney+.
“As we attempt to limit the content we create to our own platforms, there are likely opportunities to license to 3rd parties,” said Iger. “It was something we couldn’t do for some time because we were so favored by our own streaming platforms. But when we get to some extent where we’d like less content for these platforms and we will still produce it, why not use it to extend revenue?”
![Bob Iger](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000007950467.jpg?w=1024)
Iger also talked about the opportunity of licensing content to 3rd parties, noting that Seth MacFarlane’s animated series Family Guy is attracting viewers on each Disney-owned Hulu and streaming service Roku.
Iger returned to Disney in November, lower than a yr after retiring, because the entertainment company sought to spice up investor confidence and profits in its streaming media unit.
The corporate announced a significant restructuring in February, saying it might cut 7,000 jobs as a part of an effort to avoid wasting $5.5 billion in costs and put Disney’s creative executives back in power.
The plan promoted activist-investor Nelson Peltz to finish his seek for a board seat, saying he was blissful with Iger’s restructuring.