Disney names Robert Iger as new chief executive
On this day in 2005 the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company officially announces that Robert Iger Disneys president and chief operating officer will succeed Michael Eisner as the companys chief executive officer (CEO).As Disneys chief executive since 1984 Eisner was credited with expanding the companys reach into diverse realms of the entertainment industryincluding animated and live-action films theater and theme parkswith phenomenal success.By the spring of 2004 however Disney was struggling to emerge from a bit of a slump Its ABC television division was struggling while its once-dominant animation department was being outpaced by innovators such as Pixar producers of the massive 2003 hit Finding Nemo.Shareholders voted to strip Eisner of his chairmanship of the Disney board that March and Eisner announced in September that he would leave Disney in two years.The following March the announcement came that Iger Disneys president and Eisners loyal second-in-command since 2000 would succeed Eisner as the companys CEO.
Iger worked as a weatherman and news reporter in Ithaca New York before joining ABC in 1974.He rose through the ranks there and was eventually named president and chief operating officer of Capital CitiesABC.Iger had officially joined Disneys senior management team in 1996 as chairman of the ABC Group in 1999 he was named president of Walt Disney International.The following January Iger was named Disneys president and chief operating officer.Things were looking up for Disney at the time of Igers promotion as ABC had scored recent hits with Lost and Desperate Housewives and its movie division had showed strong results.
From the time his succession was announced Iger worked to give Disneys various business units more autonomy.Seeing the enormous potential of advances in technology and new media Iger also made it a priority to guide Disney into the future of entertainment.Less than two weeks after he officially took over as CEO on October 1 2005 Iger announced a deal that made Disney and ABC-owned TV show episodes available through iTunes.
Rivals such as NBC and CBS hastened to follow suit and provide their programs for iTunes or on-demand viewing.
