Mouse roars: Disney profit up 54 percent; Iger hypes tech possibilities

As expected, Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), bolstered by higher ad revenues, posted a 54 percent earnings improvement to $1.3 billion during its fiscal first quarter. Everything was up--cable (ESPN), broadcast (ABC) and even theme parks--and CEO Bob Iger said that the company is looking at new technology as a way to keep the momentum going.

Dismissing the media conglomerate's dependence on Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), whose CEO Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder with 7.3 percent of stock, Iger cited the "incredible developments we're seeing on the technology side that, when added to great content and brands, provide for more opportunity than we've ever seen before."

Iger is looking to live in programmer Nirvana: "A good place on a good platform where there is good navigation and decent access to revenue and our brand and our products are, in effect, showcased well."

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