I don't know that this is well-sourced, but here's a very interesting rumor:

Apple buying Disney in the long term?

The basics of the theory is that Bob Iger was brought back to oversee a major transition.

Inside the Magic reports the idea of Disney being sold to or merged with Apple

Apple Insider says no...

When it comes to entertainment, I've also found this guy to provide pretty good analysis:

It's not a fit with Apple's core business.

I don't know if these companies will eventually be part of the same single company, but I'm pretty sure that with Apple's 2.4t valuation, they're not going to "merge" with a company worth about 1/13th as much.

(11-24-2022 09:10 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  It's not a fit with Apple's core business.

Apple has been pursuing strategic diversification so that they are less reliant on the iPhones and related devices as their overwhelming primary source of revenue.

(11-24-2022 09:10 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  It's not a fit with Apple's core business.

Listen to Tim Cook more….

(11-24-2022 10:41 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(11-24-2022 09:10 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  It's not a fit with Apple's core business.

Apple has been pursuing strategic diversification so that they are less reliant on the iPhones and related devices as their overwhelming primary source of revenue.

Think of it this way--if Apple's brain trust privately feels that their stock is overvalued, it makes sense to use that stock value to buy other assets that are remotely plausible.

Apple has already dipped a toe in the water with Apple TV, so expanding into the Disney business is not a huge stretch.

(11-24-2022 10:41 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(11-24-2022 09:10 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  It's not a fit with Apple's core business.

Apple has been pursuing strategic diversification so that they are less reliant on the iPhones and related devices as their overwhelming primary source of revenue.

Hmm, I remember having theorized that Amazon could acquire Disney/ESPN. Amazon has a bit more cachet than Apple, and if Bezos can launch spacecraft, I'm fairly certain that he could buy Disney. Wonder what Iger's & Bezos' relationship is like???

Also I think that Apple would go after FOX, trying to one-up Bezos

(11-24-2022 10:56 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(11-24-2022 10:41 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(11-24-2022 09:10 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  It's not a fit with Apple's core business.

Apple has been pursuing strategic diversification so that they are less reliant on the iPhones and related devices as their overwhelming primary source of revenue.

Hmm, I remember having theorized that Amazon could acquire Disney/ESPN. Amazon has a bit more cachet than Apple, and if Bezos can launch spacecraft, I'm fairly certain that he could buy Disney. Wonder what Iger's & Bezos' relationship is like???

Also I think that Apple would go after FOX, trying to one-up Bezos

Apple has a market cap of $2.4 trillion. Amazon is (deep breath) "only" $980 billion. Not sure how Amazon has more "cachet" than Apple.

Fox is a less attractive acquisition (which is part of the reason, I think, that the Murdochs still have it). The only part that makes a profit is Fox News, which has the opposite of "cachet"

Apple could buy a lot of things.

This is a very old rumor that's only rearing its head because of the leadership change at Disney and people are guessing into the dark.

At this point, it makes more sense for whomever might be interested in Disney, to wait to see if Iger rights the ship, than to buy a mess that they would then need to clean up.

At this point, it would make more sense for Apple to buy espn than all of Disney.

Hulu or even Netflix could be options as well, I suppose

But why would apple want broadway shows, cruise lines, theme parks, a tv network, etc.

and owning a library of content is a double edged sword. There were reasons that Jim Henson was trying to sell the Muppets, or that Kirk Kerkorian sold mgm to Ted Turner...

So, no, I think this is just people guessing in the dark, hoping their prediction happens...

I can see the possibility of them doing this. I think they can try to maybe look to integrate things into the iPhone and iPad with with ESPN+. Though it also depends on how Apple values the other Disney content. Though looking at what apple has bought it's computer tech companies. I doubt they suddenly want in on ota television and theme Parks.

In all honesty Amazon would have been my first pick instead of Apple. Disney gives prime a lot more content and the ability now to show their original content on TV channels. They could merge Hulu into prime easily. The main question I have is if they keep Disney+ and ESPN+ separate from prime TV. I do think that the parks are getting spun off or sold off.

(11-25-2022 01:00 AM)46566 Wrote:  I can see the possibility of them doing this. I think they can try to maybe look to integrate things into the iPhone and iPad with with ESPN+. Though it also depends on how Apple values the other Disney content. Though looking at what apple has bought it's computer tech companies. I doubt they suddenly want in on ota television and theme Parks.

In all honesty Amazon would have been my first pick instead of Apple. Disney gives prime a lot more content and the ability now to show their original content on TV channels. They could merge Hulu into prime easily. The main question I have is if they keep Disney+ and ESPN+ separate from prime TV. I do think that the parks are getting spun off or sold off.

And those things are major issues.

It would be far more likely/easier for Apple or Amazon to buy certain pieces of Disney than to buy the whole thing.

I think Frank alluded to this in the "Disney News" thread, but at outright buyout, as feasible as it might be given the balance sheets of both Co's, has an immediate branding and logo problem. You are mixing two very distinct entities with droves of loyal customers and fans. It's apples (quite literally in this case) and oranges. Why merge when there is no synergy between the two logos? You risk alienating a loyal Disney base by placing the Apple umbrella over it. That Disney logo is so powerful that Apple may try to keep it and sell this as a "merger" instead of an outright buyout. This would merely be a long term 50-100 year investment for Apple, which could operate more like a Berkshire than a tech company if they choose. Just acquire all the hard assets and remaining talent at Disney.

(11-25-2022 01:05 AM)Skyhawk Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:00 AM)46566 Wrote:  I can see the possibility of them doing this. I think they can try to maybe look to integrate things into the iPhone and iPad with with ESPN+. Though it also depends on how Apple values the other Disney content. Though looking at what apple has bought it's computer tech companies. I doubt they suddenly want in on ota television and theme Parks.

In all honesty Amazon would have been my first pick instead of Apple. Disney gives prime a lot more content and the ability now to show their original content on TV channels. They could merge Hulu into prime easily. The main question I have is if they keep Disney+ and ESPN+ separate from prime TV. I do think that the parks are getting spun off or sold off.

And those things are major issues.

It would be far more likely/easier for Apple or Amazon to buy certain pieces of Disney than to buy the whole thing.

The only viable arms from Disney (from a tech company's standpoint) are its news "talent" over at ABC or the entire sports division with ESPN... maybe both. Going into the theme parks and movie business is a fools game and doesn't have any synergy with the core business. It boggles the mind why Apple and AMZN are pushing so heavily into the media and entertainment business (beyond news and sports). They just have (or had in AMZNs case) wads of cash to blow I suppose. At least Bezos is going into space. I don't know what space Apple plans to take on going forward, but it shouldn't be media/entertainment production. If Apple is really out of ideas, that could single handedly send the entire market in a prolonged downturn.

Apple wants to own the content and the device on which you want to watch the content. Disney might have some assets that are problematic for Apple, but they have lots of content that is extremely valuable.

I wonder if Apple would be better off buying Comcast. This would still give them a tremendous amount of content (NBC Universal) and potentially allow them to own the content, the device, and the delivery mechanism (cable). Merging Peacock into Apple TV might also draw less regulatory scrutiny.

Live sports are the best advertising platform. Apple and Amazon are major retailers which both dabble in media. I can see the appeal for part of the Disney package, as ESPN provides the live sports. ESPN also has inventory, something Apple's streaming platform lacks.

And on an ancillary note, Tim Cook is an Auburn alumnus (Duke for postgraduate) and he remains an active participant in giving to both. If Apple wants to spread its media interests Disney is a solid product from which to do so. With advertising as a middleman cost, owning media outright, especially one which is well viewed and international in scope, is a great way to push your own products.

I can see the appeal. Is there interest? I guess we'll find out.

(11-25-2022 05:37 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:05 AM)Skyhawk Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:00 AM)46566 Wrote:  I can see the possibility of them doing this. I think they can try to maybe look to integrate things into the iPhone and iPad with with ESPN+. Though it also depends on how Apple values the other Disney content. Though looking at what apple has bought it's computer tech companies. I doubt they suddenly want in on ota television and theme Parks.

In all honesty Amazon would have been my first pick instead of Apple. Disney gives prime a lot more content and the ability now to show their original content on TV channels. They could merge Hulu into prime easily. The main question I have is if they keep Disney+ and ESPN+ separate from prime TV. I do think that the parks are getting spun off or sold off.

And those things are major issues.

It would be far more likely/easier for Apple or Amazon to buy certain pieces of Disney than to buy the whole thing.

The only viable arms from Disney (from a tech company's standpoint) are its news "talent" over at ABC or the entire sports division with ESPN... maybe both. Going into the theme parks and movie business is a fools game and doesn't have any synergy with the core business. It boggles the mind why Apple and AMZN are pushing so heavily into the media and entertainment business (beyond news and sports). They just have (or had in AMZNs case) wads of cash to blow I suppose. At least Bezos is going into space. I don't know what space Apple plans to take on going forward, but it shouldn't be media/entertainment production. If Apple is really out of ideas, that could single handedly send the entire market in a prolonged downturn.

Yeah - this is a long-standing rumor (wish?) of Apple buying Disney that’s popping up again because of Bon Iger returning. To your point, the only parts that *might* make sense are the IP movie/TV library content portions for the AppleTV+ service and if the sports rights from ESPN can somehow be transferred. Neither Apple nor Amazon want anything to do with either the linear cable networks or theme park/cruise line businesses.

Now, whether the media/entertainment business actually makes sense for Apple/Amazon at all is an interesting question. I think Amazon’s argument is that whatever gets people to sign up for Amazon Prime is worth it because, unlike Netflix, Disney+ or any other streaming service, it’s shown that a Prime member will spend substantially more on ordering on Amazon and that’s the bigger revenue source for them. So, they’d say spending on NFL Thursday Night Football or the Lord of the Rings show drives up Prime subscriptions, which in turn drives up spending on Amazon overall that is a much bigger revenue driver. That actually makes a fair amount of sense to me (although it’s a question whether the *level* of spending that Amazon is engaging in for Prime right now is worth it).

Apple would seem to want the same connection (where AppleTV+ would drive more usage of its hardware products), but I don’t think the argument is as clear for them.

In one of the Twitter threads discussing this, it was pointed out that Apple could gain the same sort of synergies by purchasing Paramount, which has a market cap around $13bn. It'd be a much less risky acquisition for Apple compared to Disney while still gaining a number of valuable assets that would provide similar or better synergies than Disney. Also, it would seem to me that as long as Apple divested some Paramount assets like Simon & Schuster and Paramount's interest in FuboTV, this would probably have a better shot of getting past the antitrust regulators than Disney.

From the point of view of someone from Orlando, I'd be concerned about Apple buying Disney in terms of the theme parks. I'd imagine they would seek to recoup some of their acquisition costs by selling off the parks with a licensing deal for the IP. You'd have to have some sort of perpetual license to even consider buying the parks; can't have Disney World without Disney IP. It's definitely a risk for Orlando if the parks are sold. That said, I could see a lot of perks they could offer to iPhone users to get all the Disney nuts to switch to Apple products, as well as the opportunity to showcase Apple technology across the parks from rides to the hotels.

(11-25-2022 09:26 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 05:37 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:05 AM)Skyhawk Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:00 AM)46566 Wrote:  I can see the possibility of them doing this. I think they can try to maybe look to integrate things into the iPhone and iPad with with ESPN+. Though it also depends on how Apple values the other Disney content. Though looking at what apple has bought it's computer tech companies. I doubt they suddenly want in on ota television and theme Parks.

In all honesty Amazon would have been my first pick instead of Apple. Disney gives prime a lot more content and the ability now to show their original content on TV channels. They could merge Hulu into prime easily. The main question I have is if they keep Disney+ and ESPN+ separate from prime TV. I do think that the parks are getting spun off or sold off.

And those things are major issues.

It would be far more likely/easier for Apple or Amazon to buy certain pieces of Disney than to buy the whole thing.

The only viable arms from Disney (from a tech company's standpoint) are its news "talent" over at ABC or the entire sports division with ESPN... maybe both. Going into the theme parks and movie business is a fools game and doesn't have any synergy with the core business. It boggles the mind why Apple and AMZN are pushing so heavily into the media and entertainment business (beyond news and sports). They just have (or had in AMZNs case) wads of cash to blow I suppose. At least Bezos is going into space. I don't know what space Apple plans to take on going forward, but it shouldn't be media/entertainment production. If Apple is really out of ideas, that could single handedly send the entire market in a prolonged downturn.

Yeah - this is a long-standing rumor (wish?) of Apple buying Disney that’s popping up again because of Bon Iger returning. To your point, the only parts that *might* make sense are the IP movie/TV library content portions for the AppleTV+ service and if the sports rights from ESPN can somehow be transferred. Neither Apple nor Amazon want anything to do with either the linear cable networks or theme park/cruise line businesses.

Now, whether the media/entertainment business actually makes sense for Apple/Amazon at all is an interesting question. I think Amazon’s argument is that whatever gets people to sign up for Amazon Prime is worth it because, unlike Netflix, Disney+ or any other streaming service, it’s shown that a Prime member will spend substantially more on ordering on Amazon and that’s the bigger revenue source for them. So, they’d say spending on NFL Thursday Night Football or the Lord of the Rings show drives up Prime subscriptions, which in turn drives up spending on Amazon overall that is a much bigger revenue driver. That actually makes a fair amount of sense to me (although it’s a question whether the *level* of spending that Amazon is engaging in for Prime right now is worth it).

Apple would seem to want the same connection (where AppleTV+ would drive more usage of its hardware products), but I don’t think the argument is as clear for them.

I don't know that getting more people to sign up for Amazon Prime is the major enticement. They already have extraordinary market there, and gains wouldn't be huge. Getting existing Prime customers to spend more on products they sell would likely be a bigger driver for them. Not so much with Apple, which is why I tend to think an Amazon deal is more likely.

(11-25-2022 09:26 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 05:37 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:05 AM)Skyhawk Wrote:  

(11-25-2022 01:00 AM)46566 Wrote:  I can see the possibility of them doing this. I think they can try to maybe look to integrate things into the iPhone and iPad with with ESPN+. Though it also depends on how Apple values the other Disney content. Though looking at what apple has bought it's computer tech companies. I doubt they suddenly want in on ota television and theme Parks.

In all honesty Amazon would have been my first pick instead of Apple. Disney gives prime a lot more content and the ability now to show their original content on TV channels. They could merge Hulu into prime easily. The main question I have is if they keep Disney+ and ESPN+ separate from prime TV. I do think that the parks are getting spun off or sold off.

And those things are major issues.

It would be far more likely/easier for Apple or Amazon to buy certain pieces of Disney than to buy the whole thing.

The only viable arms from Disney (from a tech company's standpoint) are its news "talent" over at ABC or the entire sports division with ESPN... maybe both. Going into the theme parks and movie business is a fools game and doesn't have any synergy with the core business. It boggles the mind why Apple and AMZN are pushing so heavily into the media and entertainment business (beyond news and sports). They just have (or had in AMZNs case) wads of cash to blow I suppose. At least Bezos is going into space. I don't know what space Apple plans to take on going forward, but it shouldn't be media/entertainment production. If Apple is really out of ideas, that could single handedly send the entire market in a prolonged downturn.

Yeah - this is a long-standing rumor (wish?) of Apple buying Disney that’s popping up again because of Bon Iger returning. To your point, the only parts that *might* make sense are the IP movie/TV library content portions for the AppleTV+ service and if the sports rights from ESPN can somehow be transferred. Neither Apple nor Amazon want anything to do with either the linear cable networks or theme park/cruise line businesses.

Now, whether the media/entertainment business actually makes sense for Apple/Amazon at all is an interesting question. I think Amazon’s argument is that whatever gets people to sign up for Amazon Prime is worth it because, unlike Netflix, Disney+ or any other streaming service, it’s shown that a Prime member will spend substantially more on ordering on Amazon and that’s the bigger revenue source for them. So, they’d say spending on NFL Thursday Night Football or the Lord of the Rings show drives up Prime subscriptions, which in turn drives up spending on Amazon overall that is a much bigger revenue driver. That actually makes a fair amount of sense to me (although it’s a question whether the *level* of spending that Amazon is engaging in for Prime right now is worth it).

Apple would seem to want the same connection (where AppleTV+ would drive more usage of its hardware products), but I don’t think the argument is as clear for them.

Looking at it another way.
If you're Tim Cook & Co, and you secretly believe that Apple is overvalued at $2 and a half trillion. You'll want to turn that pretend stock market money into valuable assets.

If you were mandated to spend a half a trillion dollars on acquisitions for Apple, the Disney empire isn't under consideration? I can't think of a big company with a brick-and-mortar wing that would be a better fit.

(11-25-2022 09:56 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  In one of the Twitter threads discussing this, it was pointed out that Apple could gain the same sort of synergies by purchasing Paramount, which has a market cap around $13bn. It'd be a much less risky acquisition for Apple compared to Disney while still gaining a number of valuable assets that would provide similar or better synergies than Disney. Also, it would seem to me that as long as Apple divested some Paramount assets like Simon & Schuster and Paramount's interest in FuboTV, this would probably have a better shot of getting past the antitrust regulators than Disney.

From the point of view of someone from Orlando, I'd be concerned about Apple buying Disney in terms of the theme parks. I'd imagine they would seek to recoup some of their acquisition costs by selling off the parks with a licensing deal for the IP. You'd have to have some sort of perpetual license to even consider buying the parks; can't have Disney World without Disney IP. It's definitely a risk for Orlando if the parks are sold. That said, I could see a lot of perks they could offer to iPhone users to get all the Disney nuts to switch to Apple products, as well as the opportunity to showcase Apple technology across the parks from rides to the hotels.

Yeah, more likely the Disney parks become iphone-exclusive or iphone-advantaged.