Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Cuban's Missile Crisis

By Rick Munarriz – Updated Nov 16, 2016 at 4:38PM

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

Mark Cuban's show is a bomb that Disney now has the luxury of detonating.

When Disney's (NYSE:DIS) ABC announced plans for Mark Cuban's reality series, The Benefactor looked as though it was simply trying to cash in on the success of Donald Trump's The Apprentice on General Electric's (NYSE:GE) NBC. Well, it seems as though being rich and doling out a beefy prize isn't enough to ride Trump's coattails, as ABC will be canceling the show by month's end.

Don't cry for Cuban. He's got his Mavericks, his maverick attitude, and his billionaire status -- the latter acquired when he sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) just before the dot-com bubble got sudsy and started stinging eyes.

And you really shouldn't cry for Disney either, because the reason it is calling off the show -- quite simply -- is because it can. Disney's performance in reality television has produced a mixed bag. While shows such as The Bachelor and Extreme Makeover have fared well, you have some pitiful losers in there such as Am I Hot? and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

But now that Disney appears to be shaking the ratings cellar disease this season on the strength of popular new shows such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, it has every reason to pull the plug early on what just isn't working.

With ABC bouncing back so strongly on Sundays and Wednesdays, the last thing it needed was a weak show sharing Monday Night Football's spotlight -- which meant that it was preempted in some local markets for additional sports coverage or has been running after the unpredictable lengths of the weekly football contests out on the West Coast. In other words, Cuban and the show never really had much of a fighting chance.

So does this mercy killing make Disney the ultimate benefactor? For a company whose network has spent the last few years looking for a lifeline before this season's early success, it can finally afford to be cruel by smoking a Cuban.

Putting out the fire at ABC doesn't mean that the coast is clear for Disney. It will still lose Pixar (NASDAQ:PIXR) and quite possibly the Miramax minds of Bob and Harvey Weinstein by the end of next year. But question marks are what ultimately drive the entertainment industry to keep you on the edge of your seat until the next cliffhanger.

And the next time Cuban wants to give away some prize money, there's always Foolanthropy.

Were you watching Mark Cuban's show, and will it matter whether the show is being truncated? All this and more -- in the Disney discussion board. Only on Fool.com.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has been watching more of ABC lately -- but Cuban's show was preempted in his Miami market. He owns shares in Disney and Pixar.

None

Invest Smarter with The Motley Fool

Join Over 1 Million Premium Members Receiving…

  • New Stock Picks Each Month
  • Detailed Analysis of Companies
  • Model Portfolios
  • Live Streaming During Market Hours
  • And Much More
Get Started Now

Stocks Mentioned

The Walt Disney Company Stock Quote
The Walt Disney Company
DIS
$99.50 (-2.60%) $-2.66
General Electric Company Stock Quote
General Electric Company
GE
$64.55 (-1.24%) $0.81

*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

Related Articles

Motley Fool Returns

Motley Fool Stock Advisor

Market-beating stocks from our award-winning analyst team.

Stock Advisor Returns
339%
 
S&P 500 Returns
109%

Calculated by average return of all stock recommendations since inception of the Stock Advisor service in February of 2002. Returns as of 09/24/2022.

Discounted offers are only available to new members. Stock Advisor list price is $199 per year.

Premium Investing Services

Invest better with The Motley Fool. Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool's premium services.