Bob Iger is the Time Business Person of The Year

Time Magazine named its People of the Year yesterday and, in the midst of placing a differently-abled and terminally manipulated child on the cover, they also talked to the one CEO who runs the entire global entertainment culture.

HOW DARE YOU!

Bob Iger, soon to be the former CEO of the Disney Corporation was named as Time Magazine’s Business Person of the Year. Which makes sense because, by all metrics that matter to people with money, he has expanded the reach and power of the Mouse House, as well as enriching shareholders.

And, with a guy like Iger, he’s always looking around for more ways to enrich the shareholders with acquisitions of hot intellectual properties.

From the trades:

The interviewer asks which of the massive intellectual properties that The Mouse could be looking to purchase next. Rattling off names like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and James Bond sets quite a table for the executive to choose from. He just said in response, “We’re not looking to buy anything right now. But, I’ve always been a huge James Bond fan.”

Well, that’s going to set the Internet alight for the next ten minutes or so.

James Bond is Flailing Into Irrelevance

In light of the lack of interest in the upcoming James Bond film, No Time to Die, and the lackluster performance of Bond actors since, well, Sean Connery, and the unbelievable character and business mismanagement by the Broccoli Family and MGM in relation to the Bond IP, Iger purchasing it out from under the Broccoli Family might not be a bad idea.

When they bring in the minorities and women, you can be guaranteed that the relevancy of the IP is on the way out the window.

And then, of course, Iger went on to praise Baby Yoda, who also was on the Time magazine cover with Iger.

From the trades:

“As soon as those ears popped up from under the blanket, and the eyes, I knew,” Iger described seeing Baby Yoda for the first time. In a strange moment, he compared that instance to when he saw Leonardo DiCaprio on Growing Pains at the age of 16.

Interesting enough, many audiences had the same reaction watching DiCaprio in The Revenant when he was challenged by another furry animal.

What Are We To Make of All of This?

Nothing.

Iger states later in the article that he and Disney are not preparing to purchase anymore IP this year.

The cheese stands alone.

But what this does show is how voracious and rapacious the appetite of the Disney Corporation is right now.

Reading this, it begs the question: Which studio, executive, or IP creator will eventually tell the Mouse House “no” to acquisition?

Competition, especially robust competition, in the content space is necessary for vibrancy and continued creative destruction and growth.