Stupid Guest Tricks

Disney’s parks chief emerges as possible successor to Iger

(Bob) Chapek, whose 24-year career at Disney has included roles in the film studio and consumer products, is now viewed as a likely successor to Iger, according to people familiar with the company. While no formal decision has been made, Disney is under pressure to find a replacement because Iger is scheduled to retire in July 2019, leaving 19 months to complete a transition. If history is any guide, Disney may soon name a chief operating officer or president, currently unoccupied roles that Iger held for five years before becoming CEO in 2005.

Chapek joined Disney after working in marketing at H.J. Heinz Co., the food-processing company, and at agency J. Walter Thompson. At Disney, Chapek reorganized the consumer-products division, cutting jobs and focusing the business on brands rather than lines of merchandise.

At the parks division, Chapek has focused on pricing, introducing a tiered system of tickets that cost more during peak times and eliminating some annual passes. He’s searched for ways to get patrons to pay extra for perks such as nighttime events and passes to get to the head of the line in the company’s California parks.

All about the Green Backs any more.

Will Iger Ever Step Down?

Murdoch Is Said to Want Iger to Stay as Disney C.E.O.
Speculation about who might succeed Mr. Iger, 66, has increased in recent weeks. On Tuesday, some news outlets had Mr. Murdoch’s son James, the chief executive of 21st Century Fox, as a likely candidate.

How Much Power Could Rupert and Sons Wield at Disney?

A deal in the works that could have The Walt Disney Co. purchasing up to $60 billion worth of 21st Century Fox’s assets would make Rupert Murdoch and his sons major Disney shareholders with outsize power over important decisions, including who would succeed current CEO Robert Iger, insiders and observers speculated on Wednesday.

The deal under discussion involves cash and Disney stock that would flow to Fox shareholders, and it could make the Murdochs Disney’s largest individual shareholders, just as Steve Jobs had been after the late co-founder of Apple sold Pixar to Disney for $7.4 billion in 2006. (Jobs' widow sold half her Disney shares earlier this year.) Just as Jobs was added to the board, analysts speculate that Disney would add both James and Lachlan Murdoch, Fox’s CEO and co-executive chairman, respectively, and possibly also add Rupert, who has the co-executive chairman title at Fox.

Insiders say that behind the scenes the Murdochs are jockeying for as much power as they possibly can extract from Disney, which is anxious to acquire Fox’s rights to some Marvel movies, Avatar sequels, regional sports networks and such premiere cable TV brands as FX as it gears up to launch a streaming offering that is meant to compete with Netflix and Amazon.com. The Murdochs would be minority shareholders at Disney, of course, though they are negotiating for certain veto and approval power over big decisions, which could include the naming of a CEO when Iger retires.