Who Owns the Media: Disney

Disney 🐔🐔🐔

Capitulation Rank: Capitulating
Category: Broadcasting & Entertainment 
Market Cap: $207.2 billion

In December 2024, ABC News paid $15 million to resolve Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the network and its anchor George Stephanopoulos, who had imprecisely said that the president had been found “liable for rape” in a civil trial in New York. (In fact, Mr. Trump had been found liable under New York State’s definition of “sexual abuse.”) According to press reports, ABC executives have also asked the hosts of its popular daytime program “The View” to tone down their criticism of the Trump regime.

Many blasted CEO Bob Iger’s capitulation in the defamation suit as setting a bad precedent just prior to Trump’s second term — as other media firms face similar legal and regulatory threats from Trump and his team. In March 2025, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned the company that ABC’s broadcast licenses could be at risk over Disney efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. The agency’s enforcement bureau will investigate to see if the media giant is “violating FCC equal employment opportunity regulations by promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination,” according to a letter Carr sent.

Outside of its media work, Disney’s tourism-reliant theme parks are concerned that a significant drop in visitors from Canada and Mexico — as a result of ongoing trade wars and immigrant crackdowns — will have devastating consequences for the hospitality industry. People from these two countries make up a large portion of Disney theme-park visitors.

DEI Doublespeak:

Soon after Trump’s inauguration, ABC’s parent company Disney announced significant changes to its DEI initiatives. It renamed its “Diversity and Inclusion” effort as “Talent Strategy” after scrubbing its website of “Imagine Tomorrow” content, which highlighted underrepresented groups. Disney also removed a content advisory regarding negative depictions and mistreatment of peoples and cultures from the company’s older titles. Instead, a shortened advisory will be placed in the details section. Despite these changes, FCC’s Carr is still proceeding with an investigation into Disney.

What It Owns:

Disney owns eight TV stations in eight markets (including KABC-TV and WABC-TV); websites and online services (including ABC News Live, Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu LLC); and broadcast and cable channels (including ABC, A&E, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, History, Lifetime, Nat Geo WILD and Vice TV).

Money & Influence Game:

Iger has a history of personal political donations to Democratic candidates. Disney paid lobbyists $5,200,000 in 2024, and Disney employees made $3,550,987 in contributions to political candidates (2024 cycle). (SOURCE: Center for Responsive Politics)