Bob Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney Co., said to investors that he is convinced that the business will maintain its long-standing agreement with the league and that he is optimistic about keeping the rights to broadcast NBA games. Iger made no apologies for the NBA package’s relevance to the ESPN and ABC linear TV networks and the emergence of streaming services during Disney’s income visit on Tuesday night. ” We continue to look at the NBA not only as a superior sports merchandise, but as a sports merchandise that has development ahead of it, evidently with great demographics”, Iger said. We’re very pleased with the prospective package we’ll end up with, which may essentially allow ESPN to continue to excel in the television sports industry. More details will be provided “if and when there is an announcement,” said Iger, who added that Disney and the NBA already have a deal in place that would allow the cable channel to keep its Wednesday night show schedule and get rid of the Friday primetime slot. While no contracts have been signed, as part of the presented$ 2.6 billion- per- time improvement, ABC is a footwear- in to hang onto the special rights to the NBA Finals, as well as one of the Conference Finals series. The identity package expires at the conclusion of the 2024- 25 NBA time. While Iger did a little shuffle-step around an expert’s question about the cost of Disney’s connection with the NBA, he claimed a registration may benefit all parties involved. ” We’re comfortable, or cheerful, we’re going to end up with an NBA package that will be long- word, and in our best interest and in the best interest of our users”, Iger said. Hugh Johnson, the company’s chief financial officer, expressed similar sentiments in Gers ‘ responses to CNBC earlier this morning, telling the network that he anticipates” continuing to have a good relationship with the NBA going forward.” Johnson stated in the same interview that the company would continue to pick how to manage its portfolio of life sports freedom, which ESPN currently holds about 35 % of the business. In addition to choosing to cut off a small piece of a sports correct, or to give up certain things that might not be as valuable to the portfolio, Johnson said during his appearance on the pre-market show Squawk Box. Iger also addressed the potential of ESPN as a standalone, basic-cable system today. ( Spoiler: He does n’t see the TV business disappearing any time soon. ) ” I think ESPN is going to make a tilt toward online, but without abandoning linear”, Iger said. ” So it will be on straight, if people want to get ESPN and its various channels through a wire or a telescope registration, that’s fine. Disney will include an ESPN stone to its Disney + selection by the end of the calendar year if they want to tilt smoothly because there will be many different ways to transfer the digital product between the two. They can do that through the ESPN application, or they can do it through ESPN. People can now access Disney +’s” limited live sports” and studio programming via the modification. As we prepare for the start of our superior independent ESPN streaming in the fall of 2025, Iger said,” We see this as a first step to take ESPN to Disney + people.” The ESPN tile will” convince Disney + subscribers to the existence of sports,” according to Iger, and it will also help increase engagement on the platform, which had 117.6 million international subscribers as of the end of the quarter and included 54 million channels in the United States and Canada. A shared sports-streaming project with Warner Bros. is also being planned by Disney for the drop release. Discovery and Fox. Domestic revenue for the ESPN unit was up 4 % on the quarter to$ 3.87 billion, with operating income falling 9 % to$ 780 million. Disney attributed the loss to a drop in affiliate revenue and an increase in programming and production costs to the broadcast of an extra College Football Playoff game. ESPN+ ended the third with 24.8 million channels, downward from 25.3 million in the year- before time. All told, Disney’s DTC system generated$ 6.19 billion in revenue, away 12 % versus the January- to- March third in 2023. The streaming division reported a loss of$ 18 million for the period, which is a significant improvement from a$ 659 million loss a year earlier. If not for the sports DTC company losing$ 65 million, the agency’s streaming business may have turned a little profit. ( Disney anticipates that the DTC unit will be profitable in the coming quarter. ) Disney’s overall revenues grew 1 % to$ 22.1 billion.