Big 'Avengers' Film to Debut on Disney Plus a Month After Service Launches, Says Iger

Avengers: Endgame debuts Dec. 11 on Disney Plus, a month after the direct-to-consumer streaming service launches, announced Disney CEO Bob Iger on a Q2 earnings call Wednesday. The hit movie grossed nearly $2.3 billion in worldwide box office in its first two weeks in theaters, he said. The company “did some deals” to get “some of the content back” for Disney Plus “that had been licensed to third parties,” said Iger. “We continue to explore ways that we might be able to get more back.” There’s “still some out there” that Disney will try to “buy back or negotiate back,” he said. Disney is “bullish about Hulu,” said Iger. It now owns 67 percent after closing its acquisition of the Fox entertainment assets (see 1903120006) and AT&T’s divestiture last month of its $1.43 billion stake (see 1904150069). “It's the best consumer television proposition out there because it offers linear channels that include a lot of live news and sports, in-season stacking of network programming, a lot of great original programming, and then, of course, a lot of library,” said Iger. With Comcast as the remaining 33 percent owner, “any big decisions that are made as it relates to investment or expansion would have to be done with their cooperation,” he said. “I think we would probably both share a bullish outlook.” Disney has publicly confirmed “dialogue with Comcast about them possibly divesting their stake,” said Iger. “You can expect that if that were to occur, there probably would be some ongoing relationship” related to programming, he said. Comcast declined comment Thursday. Disney has no intention to enter the sports gambling business, said Iger. “We'll provide programming” on the ESPN Plus streaming service that will be “designed to enlighten people who are betting on sports, but that's as far as we would go,” he said.