Disney+ has managed to make an explosive entry into the streaming market. With 10 million subscribers in one day, Disney+ is posting numbers that some services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video used to do. This is a clear sign of changes in the streaming market. Although other big companies already have streaming services like CBS, HBO and YouTube, Disney has managed to do something none of these companies have done; capitalize on their brand through buying, building and now monopolizing.
Disney has been a fan favorite for a long time. Their animated movies have managed to touch the hearts of millions of people across different times and age groups. In the 2000s Disney struggled to strike gold. Although there were some hits with fans, the movies were poorly received and rated. “Treasure Planet,” “Emperor’s New Groove” and “Brother Bear,” are just a few examples of this. With the addition of Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Films and National Geographic, Disney bought well known properties to boost their brand, using series like “Avengers,” “Star Wars” and various other franchises to extend their reach.
After building the brand they currently have, Disney decided to put all of its content on one platform exclusively; Disney+ was born. The streaming service managed to gain around 10 million subscribers in its first day. For some comparison, the country of Portugal sits at 10.2 million people. Disney+ launched and gained a huge following in a manner of days while other services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video all had to build their following up to that. Disney is throwing its weight around and it shows clearly with how Disney+ has gone so far. So what is the issue with Disney jumping on a popular market trend?
The word Disney throws a lot of weight around. The brand, the image, the amusement parks, resorts and merchandise is all overbearing. There are constant reminders nearly everywhere of the famous world. But now that Disney has developed this brand, it is self-aware of what it can do with it. Disney is worth billions at this point. They have built up billion dollar brands and capitalized on all of them for more revenue. Time and patience have been the best tools for Disney and now Disney+ is just the latest money grab.
For streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and some of the originals, they are going to have to start competing with Disney+. It is the standard now and will pose the greatest threat to their survival. The sudden flooding of new and different streaming platforms are ruining the streaming market. It appears to be more like cable than the uniqueness of streaming. The frontier of streaming is coming to a close just like the wild west came to a close. A chapter is closing while a new one is starting and possibly on a bad note as well. Disney+ will continue to expand until its competitors change their strategies or die.
Image from Disney via YouTube
