When the second season of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” was recently released on Disney+ in October, the series also did something a little different, in that new episodes, were being released on the Disney Channel the day before they were being added on to Disney+.

While many fans thought this was a way of promoting the show more, trying to get a bigger audience and utilise the value of a show with a dual streaming/linear release.

However, it seems the only reason this happened, was because former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was trying to shift the show’s production and marketing budget from the streaming division to the linear division.  According to the WSJ,

Disney is moving some shows that were supposed to be Disney+ originals and air them first on other networks including the Disney Channel, people familiar with the matter said. By doing so, the costs of production and marketing of the shows—which included mystery show “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and medical drama “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.”—would be shifted away from the streaming service, making its financial performance look better, they said. Ms. McCarthy was concerned about this strategy, the people said.

Just prior to Bob Chapek’s removal from the Walt Disney Company, he conducted a financial results investors call, which spooked the board of directors and investors, as the streaming division lost $1.5 billion dollars in the last quarter.

The idea that some Disney+ Originals were being shifted to linear, just to make that division look better, is obviously an interesting development.  It also might indicate why more shows from linear television haven’t been moved or available on Disney+ or Hulu straight away, because Bob Chapek was trying to cook the books to make Disney+ and the streaming division look better with some creative accountancy.

And according to the Financial Times, it was Disney CFO Christine M. McCarthy who led the rebellion against Bob Chapek, and this situation looks like it was one of the many reasons why this happened.

Currently, we don’t know when the second season of “Doogie Kamealoha MD” is due to be released on Disney+, but it looks like it might be coming up pretty soon, if Bob Chapek was planning on sending the show to the Disney Channel, just to shift the costs to another division.  It will be interesting to see if the second season of “Doogie Kamealoha MD” does still release on both Disney+ and the Disney Channel next year, or if this becoming public will make it go back to the original plan.

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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