In his second stint as chief executive officer of ESPN parent Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), Bob Iger appears to accept sports betting is part of the equation for the broadcasting giant. But he wants to keep it at arm’s length.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time’s Belinda Luscombe, which touched on issues such as Disney’s content woes, the company’s initiated feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), activist investors, and a potential buyout of Hulu. Iger said Disney isn’t interested in direct gaming investments. Rather, he views sports wagering as an avenue for ESPN to boost customer engagement.
ESPN is interested in figuring out a way to enable its consumers, who are watching sports on television or mobile devices or whatever, to participate in some form of sports betting without having to leave the experience completely,” Iger told Time.
That’s somewhat standoffish relative to comments he made last month at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference. That’s where the Disney CEO said, “I think it’s inevitable that there’ll be basically a seamlessness between sports programming and sports betting.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Time’s Belinda Luscombe, which touched on issues such as Disney’s content woes, the company’s initiated feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), activist investors, and a potential buyout of Hulu. Iger said Disney isn’t interested in direct gaming investments. Rather, he views sports wagering as an avenue for ESPN to boost customer engagement.
ESPN is interested in figuring out a way to enable its consumers, who are watching sports on television or mobile devices or whatever, to participate in some form of sports betting without having to leave the experience completely,” Iger told Time.
That’s somewhat standoffish relative to comments he made last month at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference. That’s where the Disney CEO said, “I think it’s inevitable that there’ll be basically a seamlessness between sports programming and sports betting.”