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Why is every media company now an “every media” company? What is it that audiences truly want? And what’s the most important goal for a franchise or IP?
After a decade of dominance at the box office, the franchise turns its attention to the small screen
An essay on theme parks, platforms, and the importance of hugs.
For all of Disney’s success in the media industry and with Disney+, its SVOD lessons are remarkably conventional and broadly applicable
J.J. Abrams takes few risks in the final installment of the Skywalker trilogy. That is no bad thing
Getting the franchise right is crucial to Disney’s future in theme parks, toys and streaming.
The new streaming service is an important cog in the Disney machine
For millennia, the most popular stories on earth were epic tales of Gods and heroes. Five thousand years later, human culture remains similarly transfixed, albeit on a more modern epic: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A framework for how to think about story/IP-based media companies, the upsides and risks in story ecosystems, and the strongest bear case for Disney’s immediate future.
Another day, another box office disappointment. Or record. Or franchise hit. Or franchise RIP. Or indie sleeper. Or indie sleep-with-the-fishes. What's going on?
The “Infinity Saga” is wrapping up after 11 years and 21 films. Now the franchise will try to conquer the small screen, too
Disney may be entering the SVOD market late and without much of its best content, but Disney+ is going to thrive. And while some of the reasons are evident, most remain overlooked or misunderstood.
Following the financial failure of "Solo," many are screaming of “Star Wars" fatigue. But it’s more likely we're seeing the accrued costs of avoidable mistakes stemming from Disney’s prioritization of timelines over creative vision.
Disney's films have become so successful they're now the company's greatest competition. But George Lucas and Stan Lee know the answer: building your own universe.
In announcing its own streaming service, Disney took a crucial first step in course correcting video service strategy and advancing Walt’s own vision for his storied company. But few details were provided, including what the service will look like, how it’ll be priced and sold, and who will buy it. Here’s what we'd guess, and how we think the service will transform both Disney and the industry overall.
To many, Disney has become the posterchild for poor licensing decisions in the digital era. Four years ago, the company sold exclusive digital rights to nearly the entire Disney catalog through the end of the decade. As a result, critics argue, Disney can do little to adapt to the OTT and D2C era – and enabled Netflix to build its own digital empire. But by focusing on Disney’s inflexibilities, this narrative overlooks the nuances of the company’s digital content strategy. Not only is Disney's future bright, it's closer than ever to fulfilling Walt's own vision for the storied 'House of Mouse'.
I join Ben Thompson’s Stratechery for a podcast on digital theme parks, Bob Iger and the fallacy of Netflix v Disney and Content v Distribution