Iger Open to Streaming Networks Online, But Not On Subscription-Only Basis

WASHINGTON D.C.: The Walt Disney Company’s president and CEO Bob Iger is willing to help the cable industry and place Disney/ABC networks for online streaming, but he does not back a subscriber-only plan that would make it difficult for consumers to access his company’s content.

Iger made these remarks at The Cable Show, the cable industry’s largest annual gathering hosted by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

The debate is growing in the cable industry around the concept of restricting cable programming on the Internet to paying TV subscribers. Both Time Warner and Comcast have two such plans in the works.

Iger, however, cautioned against this model, calling it “anti-consumer…the consumer is king, not us the content provider and not you the distributor.” He also said that he didn’t believe in adding restrictions to on the ABC content.

Under Iger’s leadership, The Walt Disney Company was one of the first media groups to make its content available on iTunes and to stream full episodes of its TV series on its various websites.