Bob Iger On ESPN Partnership Talks, “Tremendous Value” In NBA Rights Extension Despite Price Tag

deadline.com:

Disney CEO Bob Iger said he sees “tremendous value” in the company’s 11-year rights extension with the NBA despite the significant increase in costs over the previous agreement.

Speaking on the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call with Wall Street analysts, Iger also addressed potential partnerships for ESPN.

That scenario came up well over a year ago when the company was emerging from a grueling financial stretch, cutting billions in costs and streamlining its work force and content slate. “Believe it or not.

we are still having conversations about it,” Iger said about the potential ESPN team-up. “We continue to believe there may be opportunities to partner with others, particularly on the content side, which is why we continue to explore that.