A few years ago, Disney made waves by acquiring 20th Century Fox. Now rumors are swirling that Disney could be bought by another media conglomerate, Apple.
An anonymous source spoke to The Hollywood Reporter said to them, “I don't think [Apple] would buy the company [Disney] as it presently exists, but if you see Bob [Iger] start to divest things… that feels like he's prepping for a sale. And there's clearly no buyer like Apple.”
Those assets that Iger could put up for sale include some of Disney's TV networks such as ABC and FX. Apple is the most realistic buyer given that they are sitting on $62 billion in cash and equivalents and has a $2.8 trillion market cap per THR.
Disney is also quite the asset to have — especially given all that comes with it. They own the rights to properties like the MCU, Star Wars, ESPN, Hulu, and 20th Century Fox's titles. Disney truly has its hand in multiple avenues and would be a valuable asset for any studio to have.
Disney and Apple also have an established relationship. Steve Jobs was on Disney's board of directors from 2006 until 2011 when he passed. Iger then joined Apple's board of directors in turn after Jobs passed and remained there until September 10, 2019 (the same day they announced Apple TV+).
Bob Iger had recently re-signed to remain CEO of Disney, but it could be that he wants to oversee any potential sale before heading out for good. It remains to be seen if a deal of this magnitude could go through, though.