Charter Communications: The Disney/Charter pact gave the nation s second-largest cable company by subscribers the rights to distribute streaming video services that were formed as a hedge against the end of the traditional cable TV business. Disney also agreed to drop eight of its less-viewed networks, signaling the end of bloated cable TV bundles.
Walt Disney chief executive Iger, who returned to the company in November for a second stint, triggered the vigorous industry chatter in mid-July when he suggested during a CNBC interview that the company s television businesses, including its stations and cable channels, "may not be core to Disney."