Rumors have been swirling that The Walt Disney Company could be sold off sometime soon, with analysts predicting it could happen within three years.

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

CEO Bob Iger commented on the rumors during the Q3 earnings call for Fiscal Year 2023, stating that he wouldn’t comment “on the future structure of the company or the asset makeup of the company.” He did say they are looking at all of their “strategic options” when it comes to things like linear networks and ESPN. But, what do Disney fans think of a possible sale?

One analyst — Laura Martin from Needham & Co. — has anticipated “for some time” that Disney could be sold in the near future — and to Apple, specifically. Martin’s prediction is that Disney “will be purchased during the next three years.” With so much uncertainty on the horizon, we wanted to know what Disney fans thought of a potential sale — so we headed to our Facebook page to ask our readers.

No, They Shouldn’t Sell

It’s probably no surprise that many of our readers — a group who generally tout themselves as being some pretty big Disney fans — don’t think Disney should be sold. Several of our readers replied with simply an emphatic “No!” which makes sense if you’re used to things being a certain way.

Walt Disney Company Headquarters ©LA Times

Of course, the Walt Disney Company is changing all the time, but a sale might mean things could start to change. One reader replied that Disney just needs to make some changes and reevaluate what’s actually important to the core values of the company — something that Bob Iger has also mentioned wanting to get back to.

Disney World

Iger previously said, “I actually think that if you study great companies over time and you try to figure out why some companies stand the test of time and others do not, you would quickly conclude that most companies fade away because they’ve abandoned the core values that created the company in the first place. That, in the interest of staying relevant, they distance themselves from the essence of what they were. There is a way to completely adhere to those same values but to present them to the world, to your customers, and to your employees in much more relevant ways.”

Yes, They Should Sell

Since it’s no surprise that most of our readers don’t think Disney should be sold to another company — it’s probably kind of surprising that there were a few folks who simply said, “Yes,” that Disney should be sold, without really giving an explanation. But, we do know what reasons analysts have provided.

©PAUL SAKUMA/A.P. PHOTO (Obtained via Vanity Fair)

On July 14th, Laura Martin wrote, “If they don’t sell, Disney will be competing against those [tech] companies in an industry with deteriorating economics (because they never need to make money from content), we believe.”

She continued, “The fact that Disney CEO Bob Iger was on stage touting Apple’s Vision Pro goggles demonstrates the compelling strategic fit between Disney’s content and Apple’s wearable technology.”

©Apple

Even more, Iger himself stated in his book The Ride of A Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company), “I believe that if Steve [Jobs] were still alive, we would have combined our companies, or at least discussed the possibility very seriously.” This is a different tune from what Iger has said more recently, so at this point, it seems like a sale is off the table for him.

They Should Sell Off Parts

A good amount of our readers replied that Disney shouldn’t be sold in its entirety, but instead should be sold off and parted out like a totaled car. ABC, Hulu, and ESPN were mentioned several times, with many folks saying that some of those partnerships didn’t really make sense for Disney and its core values.

©ESPN

Essentially, Disney went through an explosion of growth and acquisition that made it the giant media company it is today, but many of our readers feel that those acquisitions don’t align with the company as a whole. One reader shared that they thought Disney should sell off Hulu, ABC, Fox, and Marvel.

©Hulu

It’s possible that this is the most likely scenario, especially since Iger said Disney was looking at its “strategic options” when it comes to ESPN and linear networks like ABC. If Iger does sell off ABC or other linear networks, we could start seeing more actions that might be aimed at getting the Company ready for a potential sale. With Iger’s contract extended through 2026, it seems like we have a while to find out.

©Disney

Of course, these are rumors and as of now, Disney isn’t being sold to Apple or any other company. But, we’ll be keeping an eye out for more news from the Walt Disney Company, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

Bob Iger Was Asked If He’d Sell Disney To Apple. Here’s What He Said.

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