LOS ANGELES — In another move aimed at orderly succession within its ranks, the Walt Disney Company said that John Skipper would become the president of its ESPN sports unit and the co-chair of Disney Media Networks, while George Bodenheimer, the television veteran who now holds those jobs and is also president of ABC Sports, will become executive chairman of ESPN. The changes take effect on Jan. 1, Disney said on Tuesday.
In his new post, Mr. Bodenheimer, who has been at ESPN for 31 years, will give up day-to-day operating responsibilities. A Disney spokeswoman said that the president’s post at ABC Sports would disappear, as the company restructures responsibilities in its sports operation.
Disney reached an agreement in October under which its chief executive, Robert A. Iger, will stay at his post until March 2015, but will then move to a lesser role. The arrangement signals a determination at Disney to avoid the sort of disputes that shook the company when Mr. Iger’s predecessor, Michael D. Eisner, and Roy E. Disney, a nephew of the company’s founder, locked horns over strategy and management.
In announcing the changes at ESPN, Mr. Iger said: “We’ve focused on succession at all levels of Disney for some time now, and consistent with that approach, George initiated conversations last spring” toward the changes described in Tuesday’s statement.
Mr. Bodenheimer was president of ESPN for 13 years, a period of aggressive expansion for the operation, which has eight television networks in the United States, 48 international networks, and about 7,000 employees around the world.
Mr. Skipper joined ESPN in 1997, and first worked with ESPN the Magazine, after having previously held a post with the Disney Publishing Group. In his current position, executive vice president for content, Mr. Skipper has been responsible for programming and production across the ESPN operations in television, radio and other media.
The moves appear to be in line with Disney’s overall bent toward internal promotions, though it remains to be seen whether an internal candidate will eventually assume Mr. Iger’s post as chief executive.
Mr. Skipper, who has been in his current post for six years, has been seen internally as a potential successor to Mr. Bodenheimer.
“We’ve demonstrated that change managed well is healthy – for companies and for people,” Mr. Bodenheimer said in a statement. “After 13 years as president, I felt it was a good time to step away from the day-to-day management of ESPN and let others take the lead. I very much appreciate Bob’s support over the years, and look forward to my future role with ESPN.”
Mr. Skipper is taking over what is arguably the most important and influential network on television.
Because it carries so many must-see sporting events, ESPN earns roughly $4 per cable and satellite subscriber per month, more than twice as much as any other cable channel, according to the research firm SNL Kagan. ESPN makes up almost 15 percent of the entire cable industry’s revenues, the firm said in a research report this week.
Much of that money is spent on the television rights for football, basketball and other sports, cementing the network’s dominance in the sports world.
Brian Stelter contributed reporting.
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