Disney CEO Bob Iger resigns his seat on Apple's board of directors

Disney's chief executive, Bob Iger, has been on Apple's board of directors since 2011, but that term ended this month, according to a report by the SEC filed by Apple this Friday. The filing says that Iger resigned from Apple's board of directors on Sept. 10, the day Apple announced the pricing and launch date of Apple TV +.

Iger has issued the following statement:

Having served on Apple's board of directors for eight years has been an extraordinary privilege. I have the greatest respect for Tim Cook, his team at Apple and the other board members. Apple is one of the most admired companies in the world, known for the quality and integrity of its products and people. I am always grateful to have served on the board of directors of the company.

Iger's position on the board has become a subject of discussion and speculation after Apple and Disney announced the launch of streaming TV services that will be launched at almost the same time, at similar prices. that neither Iger nor Apple have specified the reason for the connection. resignation.

At the same time, it may be useful to present Disney + and Apple TV + as direct competitors at the moment. On the one hand, many consumers subscribe to several streaming services, and this practice will likely become even more the norm in the future entertainment landscape.

On the other hand, Apple TV + is currently a modest-sized collection of newly produced series, while Disney + combines the massive backlogs of many of the world's largest entertainment companies with a much more robust range of new series and new movies. The one is shop; the other is not. And it has already happened several times that an executive, a member of the board of directors and another personality participate in several cable TV channels simultaneously, belonging to different companies. We do not know how that differs.

This decision could, however, give some idea of ​​Apple's future ambitions. At present, the Apple TV + strategy is relatively limited, at least compared to current and future offers from Disney, Netflix and WarnerMedia. But this decision might suggest that Apple sees its service as an element that will become more than a niche targeted in the future.