OTT Question Time #20 – Talking Disney+

Disney has played a long OTT game. Through the last decade, the company monetised established distribution channels and pay windows – cinema, DVD / TVOD / EST, SVOD, free-to-air – whilst continuing to make mass audience TV shows and movies. It acquired the Marvel and Star Wars universes and developed (or re-developed) both franchises into new recurring global revenue streams. And instead of relying on multiple technology vendors, it bought a majority stake in Bamtech to help power its shift into streaming. Stars aligned, Disney finally launched its OTT platform in 2019 with a wider rollout this year.

So, brilliant strategy and implementation or is Disney too late to the party? We asked this – and related questions – to our panellists at OTT Question Time this week (Thursday 29^th October). Together with Larry Mahl, President of Japan Digital Entertainment, Kym Niblock, Chief Information Officer at TVNZ, and Kasia Jablonska, former Head of Digital and Monetisation at Endemol Shine, we:

• Did a SWOT analysis of Disney+ as the service comes up to its first year anniversary
• Considered the timing of its launch and rollout
• Discussed its catalogue and the challenges of making new content at this time
• Rated Disney+, as a business and a product, against the other major SVODs
• And talked about Disney’s future acquisition, integration and growth strategy

**