Disney announced it will soon be pulling its animated movies from Netflix. This is bad news for Moana fans, of course, but the motive behind Disney’s decision will have enormous and polarizing implications.
The Walt Disney Company revealed its hand with this move. As one of the world’s second largest media conglomerate, it is keenly aware of the future of content-streaming. Netflix paved the way for TV and movie streaming and were successful in many respects. It was so popular that they saw great success creating content as well as streaming it. But with each cable cord being cut, companies see new ways to deliver and create content and carve out their niche audiences. Streaming is undoubtedly the future. Disney will soon release its own new streaming service.
Time Warner, one of Disney’s few competitors, made its own move on this front with its announcement of the 24/7 “CBS Sports HQ” streaming service. A few movies leaving Netflix may not spell the end of entertainment as we know it, but fracturing streaming services in an age of such severely concentrated media ownership just might. Not by accident, Disney to the casual observer is associated with heart-warming children’s tales and eternally joyous theme parks. The reality is far more cynical. It is a gigantic corporation with a cutthroat profit motive like any other. In less than 100 years, it transformed a mouse cartoon into an information/entertainment empire that owns dozens of other smaller media companies. This is a credit to Disney.
Disney already has several assets at its disposal. With popular TV channels like History and A&E, ABC news and ESPN sports, it could attract a wide range of television viewers. Shareholders really see dollar signs when they imagine the potential popularity of an all-Disney owned film network. It has its own Disney movies, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm at their disposal to create as many new TV its and movies it wants. Some speculate a Star Wars TV show could already be in the works.
With all this new content comes inevitable division. Will viewers stay loyal to Netflix as more companies drop their material for alternate streaming networks? Netflix has been a mainstay in the industry for a while, but if there is anyone who can compete with Netflix, it is Disney. For superfans of Disney programming, this new network has the potential to bring its fandom to a new, profitable level. Disney can and will begin creating original content based on its incredibly popular Marvel and Star Wars films. It is not too difficult to see a future where instead of semi-yearly “events” in the theatre, Marvel and Star Wars become binge-worthy TV series. Detractors of Disney’s move may claim that it waters down the magic of the originals. However, its following is such that fans will look forward to an ever-expanding universe of plots and characters.
Regardless of how people feel toward the future of streaming generally, or Disney in particular, the fragmentation of these services will drastically change how we get our entertainment. Net Neutrality will officially be lifted in April. Comcast and Time Warner are two media moguls who stand to benefit online as a result. Disney does not run a cable or internet service yet, but as it continues to expand, the transformed streaming environment will either be disastrous for consumer choice or bring us more original content than we ever imagined.
Photo: Joseph Lioto | The Oswegonian
