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At the same time, a standalone ESPN Internet channel, while opening the network to millions of potential viewers who don’t subscribe to pay TV, could hasten the unraveling of the cable bundle, threatening the network’s revenue and other company- owned outlets including the Disney Channel, ABC Family and A+E Networks.
“One of the most common questions from investors these days is when will Disney take ESPN over the top directly to consumers like HBO and CBS have done,” Sweeney said. “CEO Bob Iger has said that Disney has no plans to do that. I believe this response is due the fact that ESPN has more to lose by leaving the bundle than any other cable net.”
ESPN has been the biggest profit contributor for the Burbank, California-based Disney for years. It’s the largest piece of a cable networks division that delivered $6.8 billion in operating profit in the last fiscal year, or 46 percent of the company’s total. The cable networks contributed 32 percent of Disney’s revenue.
