Disney+ To Triple International Original Output
Ever since Disney+ launched, we’ve seen the number of international originals slowly available on Disney+ and Hulu grow, with a mix of different genres and styles, including Korean dramas, British documentaries and anime from Japan, such as “Twisted Wonderland”, “Moving” and “Raising Chelesa”.
During the latest quarterly financial results shareholder letter, Disney’s CEO Josh D’Amaro shared some details on the company’s plans to invest in more international originals.
Now we still have work to do scaling Disney+ outside the U.S., and we’re focused on driving growth and returns over the long term in undermonetized markets. Our strategy is clear: leverage regional relationships and bring local content onto Disney+ at scale, and that’s how we’ll grow internationally.
He also shared more details on their recent successes and the plan for its international content future
On the direct-to-consumer front, early success in our emerging international programming slate gives us confidence to further ramp investment. Rivals season 2 became the biggest EMEA region original premiere in the UK and Ireland on Disney+. The Perfect Crown became the most-watched Korean premiere on Disney+ globally to date. And Dear Killer Nannies is the #1 most viewed LATAM original premiere globally over the past year on Disney+. Across the next three years we plan to roughly triple the number of local original series on Disney+ to drive new international users to the platform and reduce churn.
He was also asked some questions from analysts during an investor call, sharing that:
We also plan to grow content spending from the current levels over time. We’ve talked about international, in particular, as being an opportunity where we think we can make a difference.
Roger’s Take: There are lots of reasons why Disney needs to invest in more international originals. One major factor is local originals help encourage more international viewers to sign up, as they want to see stories that reflect their lives and traditions, rather than just those that come out of the United States. Some countries are requiring Disney to invest some of its income in local content, and some countries have quotas in place to ensure local content is available to protect their own entertainment industry.
Netflix has already had great success in expanding its international originals lineup, and Disney is following suit, because new original content also can be successful on a global stage. This mix of content helps round out Disney+ as a general streamer, and it also adds more variety for all subscribers around the world. While they might not appeal to every subscriber, if Disney+ wants to operate as a global platform, it has to embrace the world’s stories, cultures and people.
Disney is extremely reliant on its core brands and studios, so spreading out the content creation to more areas, especially for its general entertainment side, is also protecting itself from issues like the Hollywood strikes, while also making the most of tax benefits to keep costs down.
Have you checked out any of the international originals on Disney+ and Hulu? Let me know on social media!
