During an earnings call earlier today, Disney CEO Bob Chapek seems to have a clear vision of ESPN’s totally streaming future. He told analysts and investors that “when the time comes to truly pull the trigger,” he believes ESPN can provide “the ultimate fan offering that will appeal to the superfan who loves sports,” and that “I think nobody but ESPN could frankly get that off.”
This isn’t the first time a Disney executive has mentioned the prospect of ESPN streaming – former CEO Bob Iger claimed in 2015 that it will happen eventually but that it will be more than five years away. Chapek, on the other hand, said Disney isn’t ready to share the specifics of its model, such as how long it would take to reach profitability or the impact such a shift would have on its existing cable ESPN business deals, without bothering to include any far-off timetables to reassure his cable partners.
