PARQOR is the handbook every media and technology executive needs to navigate the seismic shifts underway in the media business. Through in-depth analysis from a network of senior media and tech leaders, Andrew Rosen cuts through what's happening, highlights what it means and suggests where you should go next.
In Q4 2022, PARQOR will be focusing on four trends. This essay focuses on the themes, "Linear channels seem doomed. What happens next?"
Some housekeeping before the holidays
First, wow. I shouted “Wow!” audibly when the news of Robert Iger’s return as Disney CEO popped up in my Twitter feed last night.
Second, if you guessed that I was about halfway through writing a different essay before the news broke, you’d be right.
So, let’s start here. Iger stepped down before the pandemic. Iger is now returning with recessionary headwinds looming and his linear business facing cord-cutting and softening advertiser demand.
Iger thought streaming would solve for the disruption of legacy media distribution. Not only has fragmentation not played out the way it was intended to, his vision been proven wrong.
Total words: 1,300
Total time reading: 5 minutes
Iger is also returning after cord-cutting accelerated in Q3 2022 and Procter & Gamble announced it is cutting brand spend, which in turn will threaten Disney’s upfronts and therefore its linear business in 2023.
And within that context, Iger is returning at a time when Disney+ growth has ...