Disney to "Quiet the Noise" in Culture Wars

[DCLMP]

Partly becuase they know they can see it on D+ relatively soon. It all comes back to that.

They are losing D+ subscribers thats part of the problem.

 

[Mexacajun]

Glad to hear it. What do think "agenda" means then? I am struggling with understanding the context of your post if that is the case.

It is clear that you really just want an argument and this just continues the cycle.

 

[NotUrsula]

They are losing D+ subscribers thats part of the problem.

Not really in the US, or not more than comparably-priced services, at least. The big loss was in India, after they lost the exclusive rights to present Indian Premier League games in the sport of cricket. The cricket fans, who numbered in the millions and mostly had no interest in watching animated films at all, dropped their subscriptions when they could no longer watch games.

Streaming sports (especially to worldwide audiences) actually can make money at more-or-less current prices, but streaming film content that requires writing a script, building sets, making costumes and paying actors and crew, or animators? Nope. Not at today's prices. It would have to be a whole lot more expensive to be profitable. It was a viable model before the pandemic when people rushed out to see new content in theatres and had to wait months to watch at home, but without those up-front theatrical release profits the model doesn't work.

All streaming services that offer monthly options deal with cherry-pickers; the folks who join to see something in particular and drop the service as soon as they have done so. Disney + actually has the best retention rate among streaming services in the US; just over 75% of people who sign up stay more than 6 months. and the number of subscribers who choose yearly plans is also better than most other services.

 

[HokieRaven5]

They are losing D+ subscribers thats part of the problem.

Only in India where subscribers of Disney+Hotstar are paying $0.59 a month for the service. It’s growing still in higher paying sectors.

Disney spends around $1.25-$1.30 per sub for the service so each one that cancels wound up actually being a net gain for streaming in terms of getting closer to profitability.

Disney+ has lost 12M+ subscribers and DTC gone from losing $1.4B a quarter to $500M in losses in the most recent.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Wonder if this is even remotely true or it is lip service to avoid a fine or some other penalty? My money is on the latter.

 

[darnheather]

As far as the Little Mermaid remake I did see the first 45 minutes or so when I was on the ship. I loved how they sort of explained why all the the sisters were different ethnicities and colors. It was subtle and made sense.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think most everyone is taking his few words and turning it in to an overhaul of everything.

I would guess there are still going to be lots of disappointed people.

Agreed. That message was carefully crafted so that everyone could read what they were hoping for into it. It’s a message from PR. Not a message from operations.

 

[mom2rtk]

And that is why he is so good at his job - he has the ability to speak in a way that covers the bases, keeps the waters calm and lets everyone feel like they were heard.

It’s the same sort of political double talk politicians use.

 

[LSUmiss]

While you do have a point, the problem is that in many, many cases, unless it is forced it simply won't happen. Humans tend to stay within their own circles and that will often mean people similar to us. We have to push and step out of our comfort zone and allow exposure to different kinds of people - but not everybody will do that. This isn't necessarily nefarious (sometimes it is though), but at any rate we will never get there without effort. Certainly some attmpts to do so work better than others and all that - I'm not purporting to know how to fix the world here. I do recognize what it is like though.

This!

 

[LSUmiss]

i think that most people like to think that they welcome diversity, but the reality doesn't really bear that out. It's a subconsious thing and it's not always an -ism or anything, but it's just not realizing it.

Right which is institutional racism comes into play. It’s not deliberate but part of the culture.

 

[tx911]

Right which is institutional racism comes into play. It’s not deliberate but part of the culture.

What is an example of someplace that you feel lacks racial diversity on the basis of racism?

 

[JLTraveling]

As far back as the 90s and earlier there’s been an effort to be more inclusive. There was strong diverse representation in ads, commercials and promotional media that increased in actual content. This has been a core belief. It serves their humanitarian ideals and their worldwide market strategies. For decades. Back then most people weren’t getting upset about how Disney was taking away from them. They were happy Disney strived to set good examples while bringing the magic and wonder. Hasn’t that always been part of the tradition? That we try to be thoughtful, ethical, seek out our dreams and be mesmerized by all this world we share together.

This. I was a huge fan of the 90s Mickey Mouse Club. Not only were the kids highly diverse, but the adult hosts were a white man and a black woman. One of the stock recurring characters was Lurleen, the man's drag character. And the two regularly played a married couple in different sketches, often the parents of both black and white kids. It filmed in Florida and played on the Disney Channel. Nobody boycotted or got all offended, it was considered wholesome family entertainment. Now it would be illegal to even show the Lurleen episodes in Florida. Not sure how we got to this point.

 

[DCLMP]

Not really in the US, or not more than comparably-priced services, at least. The big loss was in India, after they lost the exclusive rights to present Indian Premier League games in the sport of cricket. The cricket fans, who numbered in the millions and mostly had no interest in watching animated films at all, dropped their subscriptions when they could no longer watch games.

Streaming sports (especially to worldwide audiences) actually can make money at more-or-less current prices, but streaming film content that requires writing a script, building sets, making costumes and paying actors and crew, or animators? Nope. Not at today's prices. It would have to be a whole lot more expensive to be profitable. It was a viable model before the pandemic when people rushed out to see new content in theatres and had to wait months to watch at home, but without those up-front theatrical release profits the model doesn't work.

All streaming services that offer monthly options deal with cherry-pickers; the folks who join to see something in particular and drop the service as soon as they have done so. Disney + actually has the best retention rate among streaming services in the US; just over 75% of people who sign up stay more than 6 months. and the number of subscribers who choose yearly plans is also better than most other services.

So if Disney is doing so great why is the stock down 50%?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I don't "understand" the need for all the "quotation" marks these "days".

 

[LSUmiss]

What is an example of someplace that you feel lacks racial diversity on the basis of racism?

You’re kidding, right? Pretty much anywhere that minority group are underrepresented.

 

[tx911]

You’re kidding, right? Pretty much anywhere that minority group are underrepresented.

Nope, totally serious.

You are implying that if a group is underrepresented, it is due to racism.

I disagree with this idea. I think there are many reasons that a group could be underrepresented in a particular area that have zero to do with race, sex, age, etc.

Take a look at your typical NBA team. Obvious lack of diversity. Is there rampant racism in the NBA? Of course not. They are just putting together the best basketball team they can, with complete disregard to race.

So I ask again, do you have a specific example in which there is a lack of diversity that can be attributed to racism?

 

[BrianL]

Nope, totally serious.

You are implying that if a group is underrepresented, it is due to racism.

I disagree with this idea. I think there are many reasons that a group could be underrepresented in a particular area that have zero to do with race, sex, age, etc.

Take a look at your typical NBA team. Obvious lack of diversity. Is there rampant racism in the NBA? Of course not. They are just putting together the best basketball team they can, with complete disregard to race.

So I ask again, do you have a specific example in which there is a lack of diversity that can be attributed to racism?

How about the Senate? Don't tell me they're just putting together the best group they can.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

So I ask again, do you have a specific example in which there is a lack of diversity that can be attributed to racism?

The US prison system.

 

[ttintagel]

There is no such thing as a piece of art or entertainment that is free of politics. They're created by human beings, who cannot escape the fact that they live in a society and have been shaped by society since birth.

People who complain about a piece of entertainment being "too political" are really complaining about it not aligning with their own personal political views.

Disney has begun to include a small amount of racial diversity, equality among the sexes, and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ into it's creative work in recent years. People committed to the politics of intolerance would prefer to have every single thing catered to their own point of view. I'm disappointed in Disney if they knuckle under.

 

[tx911]

The US prison system.

Perhaps lacks diversity, but again not proof that race per se is the reason why.

In other words, if there is a lack of diversity, don't stop there and assume it's due to racism.

We need to be asking WHY is there a lack of diversity, instead of assuming it's due to some vague idea like "systemic racism".

I think in this specific case, a lot of it can be attributed to the destruction of the family unit that was set in motion by welfare laws that withheld money if there was an able-bodied male in the household.

If we don't find the root causes for lack of diversity, where it exists, we will never find the right solutions. In this case, I suppose your solution would be to be softer on crime for minorities.