Disney Should Make Fewer Movie Sequels, Take ‘More Shots on Goal’ With Content Strategy, Activist Investor Argues in 133-Page White Paper
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor Nelson Peltz’s Trian Partners, which is agitating to get two seats on Disney’s board, on Monday released a lengthy white paper analyzing the Mouse House’s financial performance — and suggesting strategic fixes.
The recommendations, according to Trian, are aimed at turning around Disney‘s stock performance, which has trailed most of its peers (except Warner Bros.
Discovery and Paramount Global), according to the white paper. Trian is urging Disney shareholders to vote for its two board nominees — Peltz and ex-Disney CFO Jay Rasulo — at the company’s April 3 shareholder meeting.
Disney opposes the candidates put forward by Trian and another activist firm, Blackwells, as lacking “the appropriate range of talent, skill, perspective and/or expertise.” “For more than a year, Trian has described its thoughts on strategies and goals, some of which Disney has now implemented, such as reducing excess costs, reinstating a dividend, and making the Parks business a bigger part of Disney’s growth strategy,” the Peltz-run firm says in the white paper. “We are now making our 100+ page presentation public with our comprehensive views.” Among the proposals in the 133-page white paper (available at this link), the hedge fund says that to achieve a better return on its streaming content, Disney should take more “shots on goals” and increase creative risks outside of its core franchises, similar to Netflix.
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