Disney CEO Bob Iger staked out a unique position when he said search engines are not competitors, reports Mediaweek.

A number of media company owners, including the Tribune's Sam Zell and others, cast search engines in an adversarial light. That's largely because Google, Yahoo and just about everyone else, sell advertising on their search results. Media companies don't typically see any of those ad dollars.

But Iger welcomes the role search engines play in bringing traffic to the websites of Disney properties. Additional pageviews are opportunities for Disney to sell more advertising.

Iger made his comments during a Q&A at McGraw Hill's Media Summit. He pointed out Disney is aggressively using social networks and other technology to reach young audiences. He also suggested Disney may explore the option of purchasing AOL.