Sitting Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek — who took over for former CEO Bob Iger just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 — has faced a great deal of scrutiny, and, frankly, backlash from Disney fans throughout his relatively short tenure.
Iger and Chapek reportedly “no longer speak” following a falling-out between the two men — Iger, a champion of the Guest experience, does not, apparently, agree with many of the decisions Chapek has made for the world’s most magical company during the pandemic era
The Washington Post previously spoke to 33-year-old Matt Day, who shared thoughts about planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation for his family:
“I understand inflation and all of those things. I understand cost increases,” he said. “I always had the impression that Disney was a family-vacation destination, and that impression is why I was surprised to see how expensive it truly was — and how out of reach it is for most American families.”
Now, a new CNBC report notes that Chapek is continuing to insist on “making decisions that distance” him from his predecessor. Case in point — the recent Disney+ price hike that will see subscribers pay almost 40% more over the course of a year.
Chapek’s pricing strategy differs from the philosophy Iger espoused, according to people familiar with both men’s thinking. Iger wanted Disney+ to be the lowest-priced major streaming offering, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private. That way, customers would view Disney+ as a stronger value proposition to its competitors even if it felt other services’ content might be more robust. This is also why Iger argued to keep Disney+ separate from Hulu and ESPN+, a strategy Chapek has thus far maintained.
Recently, another report indicated that Chapek is overselling the success of Disney+, “misreprsenting” the popularity of the streaming service to subscribers.
What do you think about Chapek’s apparent insistence on making choices that Iger would not?
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Credit: Disney
