Disney CEO Says Disney+ Will Become “Digital Centerpiece” Of The Company
Today saw a major change within the Walt Disney Company, with Josh D’Amaro becoming the new CEO after Bob Iger stepped down from the role that he returned to in 2022, after the failed succession of Bob Chapek.
During the company’s annual shareholder meeting, Josh laid out his plans for the future of the company and highlighted how Disney+ is so important, saying:
“These stories power our streaming business, which provides direct and continuous engagement with our consumers. Disney+ will continue to evolve beyond a traditional streaming service to become the digital centerpiece of our company — a portal that connects our stories, experiences, games, films, and more in entirely new ways.”
Over the years, we’ve seen Disney slowly ingrating Hulu into Disney+, and Josh confirmed that the company is moving quickly to bring Disney+ and Hulu into a unified experience later this year.
Josh also spoke about how Disney is underscoring significant opportunities for international growth.
“We’ve been investing smartly and strategically to build this business, and in a little over a year, we’ve released seven of our most viewed international originals ever, including the International Emmy-winning Rivals and breakout hit Battle of Fates,”
As part of Josh’s first day, he sent out an open letter to all Disney’s cast members, highlighting his three core ideals, which include
First, great storytelling and creative excellence will remain our North Star. They underpin every decision we make. We will continue to raise the bar, take smart risks, learn quickly, and deliver work that exceeds our audiences’ expectations and our own.
Second, we will embrace technology to unlock new possibilities. Innovation has always been part of Disney’s DNA. Used thoughtfully, it can empower our storytellers, strengthen our capabilities, and help us create more immersive, interactive, and personal ways for people to experience Disney.
Third, we will operate as One Disney. Our greatest advantage is not any one business, but how our global businesses come together. When our teams are aligned and working in a connected way, we can build on our strengths, reach people wherever they are, and deepen their relationship with Disney.
While many other legacy studios are splitting up their linear and studio businesses, Disney looks to be going in the other direction, looking to unify under one company to take advantage of its broad reach.
Roger’s Take: It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the company is looking to make Disney+ its digital home, as that’s been the plan for many years, which is why we’ve seen them slowly adding new features and content to the platform, turning it from just a streaming service for five core brands, into a more general entertainment streaming service to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime. The international expansion of the Star hub, followed by the addition of Hulu, ESPN, and ABC News, and the introduction of new formats such as Verts and Streams, has continued Disney+’s evolution.
Unfortunately, many of the potential changes to Disney+ that are needed to compete with the other platforms have been slow to implement or haven’t happened yet. Hopefully, with Josh at the helm, he can make some swift decisions to unify the company, breaking down the barriers within Disney’s legacy media business to make Disney+ even better.
What do you think of Disney+ becoming the digital centrepiece of the Disney company? Let me know on social media!
