With so many changes constantly taking place within The Walt Disney Company in the last years, CEO Bob Chapek insists on bringing a radical shift in the company’s focus.
The Walt Disney Company prides itself on its commitment to innovation, constant change and improvement, and providing Guests and fans with the best experiences across the company’s brands, whether that be visiting Disney Parks worldwide, enjoying the latest movies and series from Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, or 20th Century Studios, streaming content on services like Disney+ or Hulu, or purchasing the newest merchandise releases.
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While some of these new experiences and improvements have received mixed reactions from fans, Disney CEO Bob Chapek insists on making a radical move and continues to pursue the addition of betting experiences within the company.
In a recent interview with CNBC, Bob Chapek commented that he likes to look at almost every one of the company’s businesses through the eyes of the ultimate consumer, adding that he believes in doing so, you can’t go wrong in making decisions.
Chapek commented that this is how the company is looking at ESPN, considering that one of the things sports fans want is “the ability to have a frictionless sports betting potential with not having to have four screens in front of you.” He added, “we, as ESPN have the ability to do that.”
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Disney’s CEO mentioned that if the company were to take this course, they would need a partner, as “we’re never gonna be a book. That’s never in the cards for The Walt Disney Company.” Chapek added that being able to partner with a well-respected third party that could handle this seamless integration for the company would surely be seen as a benefit by fans, providing a new growth trajectory for the business.
When asked when this integration would take place, CEO Bob Chapek commented that the company doesn’t have an exact timetable at the moment, as many factors come into play to undertake such a project but mentioned that the company is pleased with some of the conversations they’ve had throughout the industry. He added:
We’re hard at work in our offices both on the East Coast and the West Coast, figuring out how we may get a more friction-free sports environment for our viewers. And obviously, some of these things take the cooperation of a lot of the people in the ecosystem, whether they be the leagues, whether they be other broadcast partners. But we foresee a world where ESPN, even more than ever, is the pinnacle of all your broadcast needs, and we’re excited to continue working on that.
While there are not many details regarding the integration of sports betting within ESPN — and inherently The Walt Disney Company — as stated by CEO Bob Chapek, the company continues to work towards this project, aiming to turn ESPN into “something as great as it’s ever been,” making use of Disney’s “Next Gen Storytelling.”
What do you think about this decision? Would you like to see Disney integrate betting functions within ESPN? Let us know in the comments below!