Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2023 Edition

[BrianL]

My (uneducated) guess is that it's for tax write-off purposes similar to when HBO Max removed a ton of content from their service and cancelled a few movies that were already finished like Batgirl and a Scooby Doo movie.

But the stuff is alread done and released. I don't really understand how it all works. It seems like streaming is steeped in some questionable accounting practices.

 

[Brocktoon]

I really don't get whay they are removing any of it? Does it really cost them money just to have it there? Do they have to pay the actors like a third of a cent every time it's streamed? Just relegate the stuff to the back catalog and let it sit.

It's a combination of:

1) They have to pay residuals to the writers and others just by keeping it on there ... one of the negotiating points for the current writer's strike. I don't know how it works, but dropping the stuff ensures no residuals.

2) Disney can sell the content to a FAST (free add supported streaming TV - Tubi, Freevee etc...) and make $$$ on it.

 

[Smugpugmug]

But the stuff is alread done and released. I don't really understand how it all works. It seems like streaming is steeped in some questionable accounting practices.

Oh, I know. HBO Max did the same thing. They removed a ton of stuff from their service that has already been released for literally no reason. It's insane.

Anyway, guess I'll be preaching to everyone to watch Howard. It's so good. And I'll be hoping the Imagineering Story isn't removed.

 

[BrianL]

It's a combination of:

1) They have to pay residuals to the writers and others just by keeping it on there ... one of the negotiating points for the current writer's strike. I don't know how it works, but dropping the stuff ensures no residuals.

2) Disney can sell the content to a FAST (free add supported streaming TV - Tubi, Freevee etc...) and make $$$ on it.

Well, the second one I will give you - they can make money that way. Of course, Disney should really have their own FAST anyway.

Also, SHAME on the ENTIRE WORLD for overlooking The Mysterious Enedict Society - the GREATEST show that nodoby watched. It's failure will be a key peice of evidence when the aliens come to judge us and rightly decide that there is no redeeming value in the human race.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

But the stuff is alread done and released. I don't really understand how it all works. It seems like streaming is steeped in some questionable accounting practices.

As Bruce Willis once famously quipped, welcome to the party pal!

Hollywood accounting is a real thing. I'm not an accountant by trade, but it has been explained to me by someone who worked as an accountant (and was also convicted of a financial felony crime) that there are three sets of books: one for IRS/DOR, one for the distributing movie studio, and one for all the persons who have points or percentages in the profit (i.e. the Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr.'s of the world).

In short, it is a shell game of moving costs around and funneling profits to one book to other book. The best example I can give you is that Return of the Jedi lost money on a $32M budget that made over $500M at the theaters. How that movie ended up in the red is due to Hollywood accounting.

 

[Brocktoon]

Well, the second one I will give you - they can make money that way. Of course, Disney should really have their own FAST anyway.

Also, SHAME on the ENTIRE WORLD for overlooking The Mysterious Enedict Society - the GREATEST show that nodoby watched. It's failure will be a key peice of evidence when the aliens come to judge us and rightly decide that there is no redeeming value in the human race.

From one of the writers on Benedict Society ...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1659356067485343744

 

[HokieRaven5]

From one of the writers on Benedict Society ...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1659356067485343744

Welcome to the new age “Disney Vault”… only this time, you may not get out

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

This list may get larger, and includes stuff like Willow

Kathy Kennedy is a Hall of Fame producer.

Kathy Kennedy is the worst movie studio head I have ever seen. She has single handedly ruin the sequel trilogy by not having a cohesive story arch through the three movies they made, greenlight a Solo movie nobody cared about, hasn't been able to parlay Indy into anything worthwhile (and yes I'm very nervous about new movie), and she destroyed a beloved Willow movie that had a devoted fanbase with one of the worst TV shows ever. Willow was so poorly made I am actually happy that TWDC is removing it from D+.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yep ... that's why I still collect physical media. I still purchase 4K Bluray of the stuff I really like. I also still buy CDs ... I rip the music so I have a digital copy, but have the physical copy if the streaming platforms decide to drop them.

Here's the problem ... Many studios are no longer even releasing physical sets of their streaming series. So if stuff like Willow gets dropped, now they're gone for good (except for illegal as you mentioned). It may end up sold to a FAST service at some point though, as that's what HBO did recently with stuff like Westworld and a few others moving to Tubi

I was still getting Blurays from Netflix until they shuttered that this year ... and Netflix made that decision only to try and force more people into digital where you have a smaller catalog they control!

Agreed - I buy physical media too because then streaming services can't take away your disc. I think all of this is going to make people turn to illegal ways to watching content if they haven't done so already. Guess telling people that they wouldn't download a car didn't work out so well after all.

 

[BrianL]

I mean, in some ways I do get it. The show was not very popular - which is a failing of humanity in general - but I doubt it was actually being streamed by a lot of people. Why pay for a failed product at all? But, also, I wanted Disney+ to have lieterally everything. Let the userss make the choice of what to watch. If I stream something like this over something else, then my money goes to that show (it CAN'T be that much). I would gladly send a few pennies to the estate of Patrick McGoohan for the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, but they won't even give me the choice.

I wish MBS would get picked up elsewhere. It's still possible.

 

[BrianL]

Agreed - I buy physical media too because then streaming services can't take away your disc. I think all of this is going to make people turn to illegal ways to watching content if they haven't done so already. Guess telling people that they wouldn't download a car didn't work out so well after all.

But so much stuff isn't even ON disc! Streaming had the potential to be so perfect.

 

[Smugpugmug]

But so much stuff isn't even ON disc! Streaming had the potential to be so perfect.

Exactly. If it hasn't been released physically and it's not on any streaming service, people are going to put on their pirate hats and sail the seven seas. *edit: not telling people to do that btw. I'm just saying some people will do that to watch the content they want to.

 

[jpeterson]

One of the reasons I ended up so positive about Disney+ is that it made so much content available to me. It really made it seem like a good value especially at the initial price point.

Now they are raising prices AND removing content. That's a double whammy that makes it seem a lot less valuable.

 

[Brocktoon]

Disney should really have their own FAST anyway.

I think Disney may own Tubi ... at least Fox Entertainment is listed as the owner. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where some of the Disney and Hulu stuff ends up

 

[BrianL]

I think Disney may own Tubi ... at least Fox Entertainment is listed as the owner. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where some of the Disney and Hulu stuff ends up

No, that is proper Rupert Murdoch Fox Corp. They bought Tubi after the divesture of the 20th Centruy business.

 

[Scalemaster34]

I really don't get whay they are removing any of it? Does it really cost them money just to have it there? Do they have to pay the actors like a third of a cent every time it's streamed? Just relegate the stuff to the back catalog and let it sit.

Actors, Directors, Producers... and writers.

But I agree... something like Disney Fairy Tale Weddings that is really just as much and advertisement. Don't see removing it, unless there is a newer version.

But all streamers swap out content.... help to actually build some artificial demand.

 

[splash327]

It's a combination of:

1) They have to pay residuals to the writers and others just by keeping it on there ... one of the negotiating points for the current writer's strike. I don't know how it works, but dropping the stuff ensures no residuals.

2) Disney can sell the content to a FAST (free add supported streaming TV - Tubi, Freevee etc...) and make $$$ on it.

There is also the storage cost to have it in the cloud. I believe that is what they are trying to cut down. If they decrease the offerings, they can decrease their cloud storage costs.

 

[kylenne]

Exactly. If it hasn't been released physically and it's not on any streaming service, people are going to put on their pirate hats and sail the seven seas. *edit: not telling people to do that btw. I'm just saying some people will do that to watch the content they want to.

As soon as I saw Howard and the World According to Jeff Goldblum on that list I was already headed to the Black Pearl. Drink up me hearties yo ho!

 

[tinkerhon]

Welcome to the new age “Disney Vault”… only this time, you may not get out

Probably in the minority here, but DS and I just finished season 2 of the "Doogie" reboot-- loved both seasons... the setting is beautiful, and love the family dynamic (the father cracks us up!). Now reading not coming back for a season 3-- BOO !!!!

 

[Smugpugmug]

As soon as I saw Howard and the World According to Jeff Goldblum on that list I was already headed to the Black Pearl. Drink up me hearties yo ho!

It's sad that it'll come to that since in that scenario Disney won't be making any money, but it's what happens when they do stuff like this. It's similar to what's happening with streaming services focused on anime. These services are IMO not that good value for money and don't have a lot of content so people put on their pirate hats in search of the stuff they want to watch.