5 Things Disney+ Needs To Improve
It’s been five years since Disney+ first launched in the Netherlands, prior to its official launch in November 2019. Over that time we’ve seen many new shows and films released on the streaming platform, with original shows like “The Mandalorian” and “WandaVision”.
During that time, we’ve also seen many changes to Disney+. The core concept that just focused on five core brands, Pixar, National Geographic, Marvel, Star Wars and Disney, has slowly shifted to one that is trying to entertain everyone.
But while there have been lots of changes, there are also lots of issues with Disney+ that haven’t been fixed after all of these years, and there are also new problems that have evolved over the years.
Here are the five things I think Disney+ needs to improve:
1) Hulu
One of the biggest albatrosses around Disney’s neck is Hulu, and its mere existance has caused so many issues for Disney+. Operating two different streaming services in the US has meant that Disney’s attentions are split, and while we’ve seen Hulu On Disney+ added, which is helping break down the barriers and preconceptions of what Disney+ is.
Once Disney finally sorts out its ownership situation with Comcast, it’s had one hand tied behind its back, and it can’t fully commit to offering a single offering to compete with Netflix and Amazon. Bringing Disney+ and Hulu together, matching how Disney+ operates everywhere else around the world, with the Star general entertainment hub, will allow much more clarity for everyone. One single platform will allow Disney to reduce costs such as marketing, infrastructure, and content, but more importantly, it’ll be more straightforward and more uncomplicated for customers.
2) Disney+ Originals
Original content is a cornerstone of streaming services offerings, but in the past year, we’ve seen a drastic shift in Disney’s strategy. The days of relying on Marvel and Star Wars to hold Disney+ up are over, those brands have both suffered from burning out audiences and creatives. Disney also drastically cut back on Disney+ Originals from its other brands, as just churning out content didn’t work, especially those under the Disney brand, since audiences don’t want generic vanilla shows anymore.
Shows like “Percy Jackson” and “Goosebumps” have done well to reach a broad audience, but very few Disney+ Originals have been able to do that, that aren’t from Marvel or Star Wars. Disney needs to take some more risks on drama shows that can reach a wider audience, but also realise, they have to be the best that can be.
On the other hand, the Hulu side continues to release various original content, such as documentaries, dramas, and reality shows, all of which are released on Disney+ internationally as Star Originals. It’s clear the general entertainment division has a plan, but at the moment, at least in the US, it feels like they’ve realised they’ve got what they need to fill the gap, but again, this comes down to fixing the Hulu situation.
3) The Home Page
When you look at the Disney+ home page, it’s changed very little in the past five years. They’ve made some small tweaks here and there, but it’s the same setup of rows of rectangles, with very little customisation.
Even Disney CEO Bob Iger has spoken about how they need to make improvements with its technology to offer a more personalised homepage, similar to Netflix or YouTube. Without a doubt, Disney+ needs to improve things to boost engagement by making it easier for audiences to discover the content they want to watch rather than just the highlights for everyone.
4) Drop Next Day Episodes
With streaming becoming the default way how most people now engage with their televisions, the idea of “Next Day” releases on Hulu/Disney+ after they’ve aired on a linear channel, feels like a old way of thinking that still puts linear as the priority, when in reality, they need to be on par with one another.
I feel “Next Day” is a concept that needs to be put in the past. Disney needs to embrace a simpler plan of releasing on both streaming and linear at the same time, so neither linear nor streaming gets priority. This would also make it easier for audiences to watch new episodes as soon as possible on streaming services.
5) Global Releases
Over the past five years, we’ve seen some of Disney’s studios embrace global releases, such as Marvel and Star Wars, but for Disney’s more traditional studios, their focus continues to be on fulfilling their US linear business first, with global audiences often having to wait months for new titles to be released.
This is very frustrating for audiences outside of the US, who see all the same trailers and social media posts that their US counterparts do, but are left just waiting, often without any information being provided on when they might eventually turn up on Disney+.
Disney has been getting slightly better at doing more global releases, especially as they’ve drastically cut back on new releases but it’s also been cutting back on how much dubbing and subtitles are available for international audiences.
Disney+ is a global platform, and there are more subscribers outside of the United States, often it feels like this gets forgotten, and Disney needs to embrace global releases like Amazon and Netflix rather than being held back by those US linear channels.
What do you think Disney+ needs to do to improve? Let me know on social media!