The Walt Disney Co. has sold 125,000 digital copies of films through Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store in less than a week, generating $1 million, Disney chief executive Robert Iger said Tuesday.
Disney expects to generate revenue of $50 million in the first year from its iTunes partnership, Iger said at an investment conference in New York sponsored by Goldman Sachs.
"Clearly customers are saying to us they want content in multiple ways," Iger said.
So far, Disney is the only studio selling films on iTunes. Disney was also the first studio to agree last year to sell television shows on iTunes. Other studios quickly followed suit.
Iger also said Disney will concentrate more on offering content on its own Web sites rather than selling TV shows and films on every emerging platform. Disney has yet to strike deals to sell content through Google Inc.'s video store, for instance, or similar efforts launched by Yahoo Inc. and others.
"We are choosy in terms of the partners we pick," Iger said.
He said Disney feels confident it will have no trouble finding distribution for its content and that it is focusing on building Web sites such as Disney.com, which will relaunch next year, into "the networks of the future in our company."
Iger said selling shows online has not cannibalized sales of DVDs, nor has it hurt traditional TV viewing.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently became Disney's largest shareholder and a board member after he sold his other company, Pixar Animation Studios, to Disney. Iger said the relationship has helped him better understand some of the technology Apple is developing.
"He has become very quickly not only a great sounding board but a great adviser," Iger said.
