DIS Shareholders and Stock Info ONLY

[RivShore]

For me, I felt the writing was on the wall when Netflix #1 streamed show for several years in a row was The Office (US version). I was just baffled that Netflix was burning $400-500m a quarter on homemade content while watching other IP's top the charts. IIRC, I think Friends was 2nd.

So true.

 

[wabbott]

Here's the potential size of the products offered via streaming. EVERYONE with a smartphone is a potential moviemaker. All competing for a finite number of viewers, until new ones are born.

 

[afan]

I like this idea. When I asked my family to pick their favorite to stay. My husband said espn+.
(Thank goodness we got a year subscription for a deal 2 days before they announced the price
hike)
The teens in the family love Hulu and they are the only ones that watch. They all picked D+
as 2nd choice. I like HBO Max. Soon as my current specials are over goodbye to Starz Peacock
Showtime Paramount and maybe Netflix. Prob going the Disney bundle route.

I remember when Netflix was King of the town. Then lot of their content got stripped.
Why can't they all come together under a 2 or 3 agreements/bundles? There is going to
be a backlash. Kind of reminds me when there was just a few Disney vloggers. Now that
area has exploded into MANY.

That would be called cable, dish and direct tv. Then all merging together doesn't end up doing anything to get away from stuff you don't want to pay for or save money if there's only 2 or 3. There's no way HBO whatever it'll be called doesn't raise its price with this. And the others will soon I'm sure. I imagine when Netflix releases their ad version it'll be what it cost now and then it'll be more if you don't want ads.

 

[RivShore]

Warner looking to replicate Disney/Marvel process:

“You look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman — these are brands that are known everywhere in the world,” the CEO said. “We have done a reset. We’ve restructured the business where we are going to focus, where there is going to be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC. We believe we can build a much more sustainable business.”

Zaslav’s strategy is similar to Disney’s playbook for Marvel, the movie studio that dominates the box office with billion dollar blockbusters like the “Avengers” franchise.

Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to capitalize on DC flicks like “Aquaman” in order to rival Marvel.DC Entertainment/Warner Bros.
Run by Kevin Feige, Marvel is the highest-grossing film franchise in history, and Zaslav recently brought in Feige’s former boss retired Disney film chief Alan Horn, as consultant.

“It’s very similar to the structure Alan Horn, [former Disney CEO] Bob Iger and Kevin Feige put together very effectively at Disney,” Zaslav said of his strategy. “We think we can build a much stronger, sustainable growth business out of DC. As part of that, we are going to focus on quality. We are not going to release any film before it’s ready. … DC is something we can make better.”

https://nypost.com/2022/08/05/why-warner-bros-discovery-ceo-david-zaslav-cut-batgirl/

 

[DeeBee3]

I'm at the point where if the show or movie is "Netflix created," I may read the synopsis, but I usually move on. Very few decent shows. Just wasting money.

We will see what happens in the markets and economy in general - a good chunk of layoffs this week despite "jobs added" numbers. Walmart, Oracle, etc. Also have heard of general hiring freezes. It's all going to come to a head at some point.

 

[clarker99]

Warner looking to replicate Disney/Marvel process:

“You look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman — these are brands that are known everywhere in the world,” the CEO said. “We have done a reset. We’ve restructured the business where we are going to focus, where there is going to be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC. We believe we can build a much more sustainable business.”

Zaslav’s strategy is similar to Disney’s playbook for Marvel, the movie studio that dominates the box office with billion dollar blockbusters like the “Avengers” franchise.

Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to capitalize on DC flicks like “Aquaman” in order to rival Marvel.DC Entertainment/Warner Bros.
Run by Kevin Feige, Marvel is the highest-grossing film franchise in history, and Zaslav recently brought in Feige’s former boss retired Disney film chief Alan Horn, as consultant.

“It’s very similar to the structure Alan Horn, [former Disney CEO] Bob Iger and Kevin Feige put together very effectively at Disney,” Zaslav said of his strategy. “We think we can build a much stronger, sustainable growth business out of DC. As part of that, we are going to focus on quality. We are not going to release any film before it’s ready. … DC is something we can make better.”

https://nypost.com/2022/08/05/why-warner-bros-discovery-ceo-david-zaslav-cut-batgirl/

So, now Warner is going to go back to the drawing board with DC and start from scratch? Lol. 10yr plan? How long till that is abandoned?

 

[RivShore]

So, now Warner is going to go back to the drawing board with DC and start from scratch? Lol. 10yr plan? How long till that is abandoned?

No doubt they have gone back to the drawing board countless times with that IP. I think they have a stronger team running the show now so if they can't fix it, maybe no one can.

 

[bryaalre]

For me, I felt the writing was on the wall when Netflix #1 streamed show for several years in a row was The Office (US version). I was just baffled that Netflix was burning $400-500m a quarter on homemade content while watching other IP's top the charts. IIRC, I think Friends was 2nd.

Thing is, Netflix had to do all that spending. They saw the writing on the wall that Disney, NBC, etc. we're all going to take back their content at some point. I give Netflix a lot of props for foreseeing that they would eventually not be able to license the popular properties that made them popular in the first place.

However, they tried to essentially make 50 years worth of content that these companies were pulling off in a span of 5 years. The reason why the the back catalog of content that Disney has works is that most people have seen most of the movies or shows growing up. I know what I liked and disliked from what I watched and can chose to re watch or skip based on that. When Netflix is putting out years worth of content in a month, no person can watch everything and a lot of good things end up getting lost in a sea a mediocrity and terrible programming. If Netflix never did originals than either they would have had to buy out a company that produces content, Lionsgate, MGM, or sell itself as they would have no content for their own service otherwise.

 

[clarker99]

Thing is, Netflix had to do all that spending. They saw the writing on the wall that Disney, NBC, etc. we're all going to take back their content at some point. I give Netflix a lot of props for foreseeing that they would eventually not be able to license the popular properties that made them popular in the first place.

However, they tried to essentially make 50 years worth of content that these companies were pulling off in a span of 5 years. The reason why the the back catalog of content that Disney has works is that most people have seen most of the movies or shows growing up. I know what I liked and disliked from what I watched and can chose to re watch or skip based on that. When Netflix is putting out years worth of content in a month, no person can watch everything and a lot of good things end up getting lost in a sea a mediocrity and terrible programming. If Netflix never did originals than either they would have had to buy out a company that produces content, Lionsgate, MGM, or sell itself as they would have no content for their own service otherwise.

Yes, they had to create their own content. IMO, Neflix chose the wrong model for rolling out the content. The focus should have been quality over quantity while playing the (very) long game. Even the model of releasing an entire season all at once is completely silly. You get no long term buzz on any show. Of course Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[RivShore]

Wonder what this is about?

https://nypost.com/2022/08/09/walmart-talked-streaming-deal-with-disney-paramount-report/

 

[wabbott]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/business/walmart-streaming.html

 

[clarker99]

Wonder what this is about?

https://nypost.com/2022/08/09/walmart-talked-streaming-deal-with-disney-paramount-report/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/business/walmart-streaming.html

Walmart‘s answer to amazon prime? $12.95/mo… how much goes to DIS/Paramount?
Surprised if Disney are interested.

 

[New Mouse]

Walmart‘s answer to amazon prime? $12.95/mo… how much goes to DIS/Paramount?
Surprised if Disney are interested.

Disney was/is in bed with basically everyone for comp or discounted Disney plus memberships. In order to keep the numbers inflated they need more partners like this but it does completely dilute the value of the brand

 

[clarker99]

Disney was/is in bed with basically everyone for comp or discounted Disney plus memberships. In order to keep the numbers inflated they need more partners like this but it does completely dilute the value of the brand

The more you dig into streaming the less any of the numbers make sense. Why subsidize Dis+ to add value to Walmart?

This may make more sense when Disney releases the ad supported version of Dis+ then it makes more sense to do partnership agreements as Dis can charge more to advertisers due to more eyeballs.

 

[middlechild]

What if Disney+ gets to count the subscriptions in bulk, meaning Walmart commits to 100K new per quarter? Bob C sees guaranteed 400K bump in a years time, 800K in two, without any investment in sales activity? How much would each subscriber be worth, when you promised the board 1M new in two years time? How much would Bob lose per subscriber, making up revenue by a new tax on park goers, to keep his job? Too far fetched? What about 200K per quarter, as Walmart is world wide. Retention being what it is, if Disney+ can get that auto-debit started, which many ignore, then raise the "introductory" rate to normal, and we now get Chapek for a decade... Not too hard to imagine some type of deal there that would be acceptable to both parties. But a large cautionary tale is told in business schools: The Walmart Gallon-Jar-of-Pickles story.

 

[DeeBee3]

Looking forward to the info from today's call.

 

[Cynner]

Looking forward to the info from today's call.

I have a calendar reminder set!

 

[DeeBee3]

I have a calendar reminder set!

Perhaps we are just setting ourselves up for a bad end to the day? ;-)

 

[RivShore]

Interesting stats on theme park costs around the world. Shocking that WDW was not at the top of the 5 year inflation list. (Looks like they don't take multi ticket/annual passes into account so not really useful for someone planning a trip but still interesting.)

https://www.thefamilyvacationguide....e-parks/#12-2022’s-most-expensive-theme-parks

 

[wabbott]

https://www.thestreet.com/markets/d...us-as-netflix-stumbles?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

Disney Earnings Preview: Disney+ Steaming Growth In Focus After Netflix Stumble
Disney needs to add more than 9 million streaming users each quarter in order to meet its September 2024 goal of between 230 million and 260 million global subscribers.

• Martin Baccardax
• Updated at 9:44 am EST

Walt Disney (DIS) - Get The Walt Disney Company Report shares moved higher Wednesday ahead of the media and entertainment giant's third quarter earnings after the closing of trading, with investors focused on subscriber gains in its signature Disney+ steaming division.

Analysts are looking for a big jump in the group's bottom line, to $1.19 per share for the three months ending in June, Disney's fiscal third quarter as accelerating theme park attendance helps overall revenues rise to just over $20 billion.

Full focus on the report, however, is likely to center on Disney's streaming service figures, given both the two consecutive quarterly declines in users reported by rival Netflix (NFLX) - Get Netflix Inc. Report and Disney's decision to boost the price of its ESPN+ subscription by 43%, to $9.99 per month, starting in late August.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who had his contract extended by another three years in late June, told investors in May that the group needs to "carefully watch" its content growth costs, but conceded that they move largely in tandem with subscriber gains.

Disney added 7.9 million subscribers over its fiscal second quarter, which ended on April 2, taking ESPN+ to 22.3 million paid subscribers and Hulu to 45.6 million.

Overall subscriber totals for its Disney+ streaming services hit 137.7 million, topping analysts' estimates by around 2 million, while the company reiterated its aim of reaching a global Disney+ subscriber base of between 230 million and 260 million by the end of its 2024 fiscal year, a tally that would require adding 9.1 million new addition each quarter.

• "We foresee that the company will achieve its goal, thanks to the rising subscriber count and upcoming content," said Cripsidea research analyst Subhendu Behera in a recent client note. "Since the majority of users watch sports globally, Disney has recently started to give stiff competition in the OTT market."

"The company recognized that combining sports and entertainment content would give it the strong user base that is currently needed in the OTT industry," Behera added.

Disney shares were marked marked 2.6% in early Wednesday trading to change hands at $110.97 each.

Last month, Disney also said it had secured a record $9 billion in ad spending commitments for its coming fiscal year. Known as "up fronts", the advertising purchases suggest faith in both the group's expanding digital platforms, including ESPN and Hulu, as well as its plans to introduce a tiered service for its Disney+ streaming platform.

Netflix, for its part, has lost more than 1.1 million subscribers over the six months ending in June, thanks in part to rising prices, increasing competition and password sharing.

To combat that exodus, Netflix also plans to launch an ad-supported streaming services, priced at a discount to its traditional offering, and noted that it's in the "early stages" of rolling out a global plan that will prevent password-sharing.

An ad-support plan could bring in an additional 4.3 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, Netflix analyst John Blackledge from Cowen estimated last month, helping its global total rise to around 240 million by the end of next year.

"We’ll likely start in a handful of markets where advertising spend is significant," Netflix said. "Like most of our new initiatives, our intention is to roll it out, listen and learn, and iterate quickly to improve the offering."

Reports also suggest Disney has been in talks with Walmart (WMT) - Get Walmart Inc. Report aimed at adding its streaming services into the retail giant's monthly $12.95 membership offering.

The New York Times said Walmart has also held discussions with media rivals Comcast (CMCSA) - Get Comcast Corporation Class A Common Stock Report, which owns the Peakcock streaming service, as well as Paramount Global (PARA) - Get Paramount Global Report, which operates Paramount+ and Showtime.