Posted in: Disney, Disney+, Movies, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: amptp, bob iger, DGA, disney, SAG-AFTRA, wga

Disney CEO Bob Iger: WGA, SAG-AFTRA Expectations "Just Not Realistic"

Earlier today, Disney CEO Bob Iger discussed the labor disputes with the WGA & SAG-AFTRA, calling their expectations "not realistic."

Less than 24 hours after it was announced that he would be staying on as CEO of The Walt Disney Company through 2026 and on the same day when the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) National Board is set to authorize a strike after negotiations on a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fell apart, Bob Iger shared his thoughts on what's gone down. And let's just say that SAG-AFTRA & Writers Guild of America (WGA) union members won't be surprised by what he had to say – or too pleased with it, either. Weird side note? It's (not "ha-ha") funny how Warner Bros. Discovery's David Zaslav has been getting beaten up more in all of this than Iger has – and yet Iger hasn't been functioning that different from Zaslav. We're curious if this changes things…

"It's very disturbing to me. We've talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we're facing; the recovery from COVID, which is ongoing, it's not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption," Iger offered to David Faber during the Thursday morning edition of CNBC's Squawk Box from Idaho's Sun Valley Conference. "I understand any labor organization's desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we'd like to do the same thing with the actors. There's a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive."

Iger went on to say that although he understands the unions looking for "as much as they possibly can in compensation for their people," he believes that writers and actors must "be realistic about the business environment, and what this business can deliver." The Disney CEO continued, "It will have a very, very damaging effect on the whole business, and unfortunately, there's huge collateral damage in the industry to people who are supportive services, and I could go on and on. It will affect the economy of different regions, even because of the sheer size of the business. It's a shame; it is really a shame."

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