ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro praised Disney CEO Bob Iger but said he is not changing his leadership style in a bid to get promoted to Iger’s role.
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“I can say without hesitation that I’m sitting in my dream job,” he said. Asked if Disney’s succession process was altering his leadership style at ESPN, he replied, “Absolutely not. It has not changed anything. …. I feel just fortunate to be here. We are at a really important time at ESPN right now. Incredibly important. And it’s not just about Flagship” – the internal name for the 2025 launch of ESPN’s full-scale streaming service – “but Flagship is probably the most important new initiative that we are going to be launching and I’m incredibly excited to be a part of it.”
The exec delivered his comments in a sit-down at the start of an ESPN Media Day at its Bristol, CT headquarters. After an initial exchange with communications chief Josh Krulewitz, the session moved into an open Q&A period with reporters. Along with succession and streaming, topics included innovation, employee morale and relationships with leagues.
Pitato is one of four internal candidates who have been mentioned as potential successor, along with entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and parks chief Josh D’Amaro. Iger’s current contract runs through the end of 2026 and he has repeatedly pledged to exit as planned.
Pitaro, who has a background in technology including an exec stint at Yahoo, outlined tech-related plans for Flagship (which, he clarified, will not actually be called Flagship but will have a name to be announced). It will have a number of enhanced features for fantasy sports and betting. “We know that it can’t just be as simple as flipping a switch,” he said. “We know that our product needs to be enhanced.” To that end, he added, “it’s all hands on deck.”
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After operating ESPN+ over the past six years, Pitaro said, “We are ready for the next step.” The forthcoming ESPN service will cost between $11.99 (the price of ESPN+) and a full pay-TV package and the company sees “a lot of opportunity in the middle” of those two points.
One element of the flagship service will be regional sports and local games. On the business front, there is a bigger opportunity now for ESPN given the collapse of the regional sports network model and the descent of top player Diamond Sports (which operates Bally Sports) into bankruptcy.
“We very much believe that Flagship should be part of the solution,” Pitaro said. “If you’re part of the ESPN environment, we can geotarget you, recognize where you are and serve you local, in-market game.” Leagues and teams have been anxious about the deterioration of RSNs, with many of them exploring free, over-the-air broadcast and looking to enhance its streaming offerings. ESPN has looked to extend its capabilities as a potential solution, Pitaro said. “We’ve made that point to various leagues and commissioners that we are very interested in stepping up,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be in connection with Flagship. It can be an upsell as part of Flagship. We can make these games available in the ESPN app.”
The exec also extolled the virtues of AI. “We see this as nothing but positive for a sports fan and for the business,” he said. By the time the flagship ESPN streaming service launches, he said, AI tools will be able to deliver a personalized version of SportsCenter to individual viewers based on their preferences.
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