Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO

The CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, has stepped down after fifteen years in the role. He will continue in the role of executive chairman until the end of 2021 as part of a transition period.

Bob Iger (right) with Star Wars creator George Lucas.

Iger, often described as the "most powerful man in Hollywood," became Disney CEO in 2005 and spearheaded the most startling expansion of the company in its history. Iger led the way in the acquisition of Pixar in 2006; Marvel in 2009; Lucasfilm in 2012; and 21st Century Fox in 2019. He also encouraged a renaissance in both Disney's parks division (which expanded significantly under his tenure) and also in Disney's own animation studio, the original core of the business.

These deals combined many of the most popular franchises in film and television history under the Disney banner. Iger was also instrumental in the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, granting MCU head producer Kevin Feige the power he needed to execute his vision as he saw fit with a minimum of interference from above.

Iger's period in charge of Disney has seen unprecedented financial and critical success, with very few stumbling blocks (apart from the somewhat variable performance of the Star Wars franchise in recent years, although it has remained broadly profitable). In particular, his leadership has been praised for steering the company through massive transitions in the home media market, the introduction of streaming and an increasingly uncertain future for film. He's also shown shrewd judgement in what brands and franchises fit the Disney banner and which do not; he famously turned down an opportunity to buy Twitter when he realised the platform's more negative aspects would be had to reconcile with the Disney brand. He recently led the way in launching Disney+, the company's new streaming service, which has already racked up 30 million subscribers (roughly a quarter of Netflix's numbers) in less than three months and with the service still to roll out in many overseas markets.

Iger will be succeeded by Bob Chapek, who currently runs the company's parks and products division.

Disney+ to hit the UK on 31 March

Disney have confirmed that its new streaming platform, Disney+, will arrive in the UK on 31 March, some four months after its US launch. Germany, France, Italy and Spain will get the service on the same day.

The delay in launching is apparently down to the complex rights situation. Disney is reverting the rights to its programmes and films held by numerous companies across the world and moving them onto its own platform. However, domestic and international rights are held by different companies, expiring at different times, so Disney+ UK will have a different line-up of shows and movies to Disney+ in the USA.

One thing it will have at launch is Disney+'s original content, in particular its eagerly-awaited Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian. The platform will also launch with a host of legacy content, including numerous shows and films from the Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic back-catalogues, and will quickly be joined by material from Fox Television (which Disney recently acquired). Disney+ is intended to be a family service, so adult-rated material from those stables will not be available on the service, instead launching on sister streaming service Hulu in the United States. The fate of this material in the UK, where Hulu does not operate, is unclear.

More original content is coming down the pipe in 2020 and 2021, including a seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and multiple TV shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and featuring the movie actors, including Falcon & Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Hawkeye.