Disney Chief Bullish on Online Content Monetization

PASADENA: Speaking at a conference in California, Robert Iger, the president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, was optimistic that viewers will be willing to pay to access content on the Internet and hinted at plans for a Disney-branded subscription service delivering TV series and movies.

"People are willing to pay for quality," Iger is quoted as saying. "They are willing to pay for choice. They are willing to pay for convenience."

He made the comments at Fortune‘s Brainstorm: Tech conference in Pasadena, California. Iger noted that people still pay $5 per hour to go watch a movie, 75 cents an hour to read books and magazines, 50 cents an hour to watch cable and 25 cents an hour to access the Internet. "There’s plenty of room for people to spend more money on for things they are doing online. I think it is wrong to assume that because there is a lot on the Internet that is free that it is going to be impossible to monetize."

Iger continued: "We’re not monetizing as much as we do in our traditional business. It’s very early in the timeline. I think there is going to be ample opportunity to improve monetization from advertising online."

Iger added that the company is developing a subscription service that would deliver TV shows and movies from the Disney library, but did not offer up any additional details. "Subscription has the most promise because people will pay to subscribe to something that is really good. Our brand offers us some rich opportunities for subscription," he said.