In a dog-eat-dog streaming landscape, former Disney CEO Bob Iger knows that only a few services will ultimately survive.
Speaking at Vox Media’s Code Conference on Wednesday, Iger was optimistic about the future of Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon and, naturally, Disney+, but was decidedly less so for competitors like Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max and Discovery+.
“I believe that Netflix is going to continue to thrive. They have some issues now, but they’re not going away,” Iger said, adding that he is also “clearly a big believer” in Disney+ due to its IP and success thus far.
The former top Disney executive said he had been “surprised” by the speed of Apple and Amazon’s success in streaming but believed the two services had the resources, technology and track record to stick around and beat out the competition.
“They’re not primary businesses for them and they’re measured, probably, by different standards in terms of bottom line, and they serve other purposes in those companies,” Iger, who previously served on Apple’s board before it launched Apple TV+, said. “But they’re not going to stand pat. They’re going to continue to grow and they’ll grow well. They’ve got deep pockets. They’ve got great access to consumers. They have strong technology platforms. They’ve proven they know how to do it. So they stay.”
As for the other streamers, which he declined to name specifically, Iger offered a more dire prediction.
“They’ve got some tough hands, and it takes a lot of capital to be in that business,” he said. “I don’t think they’ll all make it.”
