WASHINGTON: Walt Disney Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bob Iger had resigned from Apple’s board of directors on Sept. 10, said company in its official notification issued a day after the move.

“While we will greatly miss his contributions as a board member, we respect his decision and we have every expectation that our relationship with both Bob and Disney will continue far into the future,” Apple said in a statement.

According to an official, Iger’s resignation came as the two companies prepare to compete head-to-head in the streaming television business.

Iger said it was an extraordinary privilege to have served on Apple’s board for eight years.

“I have the utmost respect for Tim Cook, his team at Apple, and for my fellow board members,” Iger said in a statement. “Apple is one of the world’s most admired companies, known for the quality and integrity of its products and its people.”

Apple and Disney have long had a unique relationship among major American companies, dating back to when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs became a Disney director and major shareholder when the entertainment giant bought Pixar, the digital animation studio majority owned by Jobs. Iger became an Apple director shortly after Jobs’ death in 2011.