# Walt Disney



## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Now that Walt Disney is acquiring Fox properties, including full rights to Avatar, X-men, Simpsons, and the distribution rights to the original Star wars trilogy, they seem to own just about every blockbuster franchise. I thought that having Star Wars and Marvel was enough, but they've outdone themselves. They also have a controlling interest in Hulu now, so we can expect Disney properties moving from Netflix to becoming Hulu exclusives.

The only fly in the ointment is that they still own ESPN with the misguided thought that people will still pay to watch live sports at home.

Any thoughts?


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

i own them and have thought about selling them ... the image below gives a snapshot of their revenue and as you see almost half comes from "old" media ... though they will control hulu

View attachment 17241


its true that will now have a very impressive catalogue of content

i think the theme parks, movies and merchandise are fairly solid, though i wonder how well disney will compete in a world with so many entertainment options surfacing and trips to disneyworld are not cheap

they are saying that they are now ready to get streaming and compete with netflix ... i think this will be a lot more complicated than they let on, the transition from old media to the netflix, channel/brand streaming model will not be a slam dunk

and they are constrained by their family image in a world that likes edgy content ... think apple who are trying to find the next game of thrones without nudity, swearing, incest and pedophilia

though again, their catalog of programs, shows, characters, brands will be second to none

i really try to avoid media and telecom (where i think disruption is far from over) so i will likely sell though it has been a decent stock and i will probably regret it in a couple of years


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Right now, Disney is still open to R-rated movies. They would simply release them under a different studio brand. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/disney-is-open-to-r-rated-marvel-movies-including-/1100-6455665/
Deadpool 2 is something about to be released and there was some concerns about changing it to a PG-13.

While distribution is a challenge, at the end of the day, whoever owns the content wins. I am thinking back to Bluray vs HDDVD. Sony was able to secure exclusive rights from studios and HDDVDs died a quick death.


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

agree on content, it is king and disney will have massive content

the thing about disney is that if you try and compare them to the competition, you find that there really isn’t any to compare them to in terms of the overall package

espn, radio and broadcast tv are real weak points still, and account for a big chunk of revenue, i am conflicted about selling which means i will probably hold and hope they can build a really strong streaming product and also improve on hulu


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

It is difficult to compare. What I found interesting is that Disney and Fox thought they were too small to compete. It seems they are comparing themselves to Amazon and Netflix. I find that to be an odd comparison.

As for ESPN, the reason why it is a drag, is that they spend billions annually to secure rights to broadcast NBA, NFL and MLB. But that doesn't even provide ESPN with exclusive rights, NBC and other networks also have rights to those sports.

I don't have any stock, but had been considering it. It is ESPN that is making me wary.


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

bgc_fan said:


> It is difficult to compare. What I found interesting is that Disney and Fox thought they were too small to compete. It seems they are comparing themselves to Amazon and Netflix. I find that to be an odd comparison.
> 
> As for ESPN, the reason why it is a drag, is that they spend billions annually to secure rights to broadcast NBA, NFL and MLB. But that doesn't even provide ESPN with exclusive rights, NBC and other networks also have rights to those sports.
> 
> I don't have any stock, but had been considering it. It is ESPN that is making me wary.


me too, yes the rights are a drag and, for example the nfl is down in attendance, sports are getting very expensive, younger immigrants like soccer not so much the others, i think the sport landscape is shifting significantly and tickets are getting more and more expensive and the rights are going through the moon

i think there is a lot of disruption still coming for old-media and even new media and how we spend out entertainment dollars, disney sits smack in the middle of all of it ... but ... they are disney, the house of mouse, one of the greatest brands on the planet earth ... who knows


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Sports is shifting, and in one article there was mention that Disney will launch an e-sports channel. So maybe they are adapting to the times. If your current target audience is dying out, you have to expand the base, and e-sports is a growing market.


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

good read about the disney fox acquisition (which may well not go through but probably will)

reiterates what i think is the basic case ... its all about the stream ... disney will have to build a succesfull streaming product or products

and while they should have the assets and smarts to make that happen, it is by no means a given

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/12/disney-21st-century-fox/548492/?utm_source=feed


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Kind of related to the other thread: I just found out what type of investor I am... (just...

Disney+ has 11% of the streaming market share: Netflix lost 31% of its market share over the last year

Of course, I don't know if they account for people to have multiple stream providers, which may be minimal and it is USA numbers.

It's actually pretty impressive when you consider that Disney+ launched less than 2 years ago, late 2019.

In comparison:
Netflix (20%) - 2007 (approx started streaming)
Amazon Prime (16%) - 2006
Hulu (13%) - 2008
HBO Max (12%) - 2015 (as HBO Now)

Landscape changes in 2024 when Disney takes full control of Hulu.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

MarkWilkinson said:


> Probably one of the reasons why Disney is buying the content of other companies is because they want to eliminate competition. It is also cheaper to buy content rather than creating your considering that they are choosing the ones that area already established. I just hope that they should still make it accessible to public without going through the hassle of paying more just to see the content that was once free before. Well, do you guys have other thoughts? I do appreciate if you correct me if I am wrong. After all, it is just how I see it.


In some respects, I agree... you just have to think about the first movies that Disney put out like Snow White and Little Mermaid, basically taking public domain stories and trademarking them. However, Disney has a history, deep pockets, and stability that other companies can't match. 
The stability portion is why George Lucas sold off the Star Wars franchise to Disney, because he knew the franchise will outlive him and he figured that Disney could be a good custodian. 
Marvel is an interesting one as they offered to sell itself to Sony back in the 1990s for $25M. That obviously didn't happen, and Disney bought it for $4B in 2009. Of course, that was only after Iron Man, but Disney had the resources and vision to bring up the whole franchise. If it was in Sony's hands, I doubt you would have seen the same result.

The net result is that Disney is acquiring all these franchises, but it's not necessarily because they are trying to eliminate the competition.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

bgc_fan said:


> In some respects, I agree... you just have to think about the first movies that Disney put out like Snow White and Little Mermaid, basically taking public domain stories and trademarking them. However, Disney has a history, deep pockets, and stability that other companies can't match.
> The stability portion is why George Lucas sold off the Star Wars franchise to Disney, because he knew the franchise will outlive him and he figured that Disney could be a good custodian.
> Marvel is an interesting one as they offered to sell itself to Sony back in the 1990s for $25M. That obviously didn't happen, and Disney bought it for $4B in 2009. Of course, that was only after Iron Man, but Disney had the resources and vision to bring up the whole franchise. If it was in Sony's hands, I doubt you would have seen the same result.
> 
> The net result is that Disney is acquiring all these franchises, but it's not necessarily because they are trying to eliminate the competition.


No, they took public domain stories, and made a new works, including costumes, which are protected by copyright.
Not trademark.


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## JMark (Apr 10, 2021)

I was reading about Disney's "Magic Band" a few days ago and realized there is a Canadian company doing the same thing but with enterprises. The company deploys wearables among enterprises, governments, venues, etc that provide proximity tracking (social distancing), contact tracing, etc. Given there seems to be an epi/pandemic every 5-6 years, this may be a necessary solution for the future. It looks like the company has done business with Hockey Canada, TELUS, gov of Cayman Islands, educational institution in TX, etc. Very interesting to me as I believe wearables are the future of tech for consumers and corporations. Company is called TraceSafe - TSF on the CSE

Disney spent $1 billion on this band - it is worn like a watch and can function as a hotel room key, ticket, make payments digital, even unlock dinnner reservations. Payment system is the key and it only requires a tap. 









Forget the Apple Watch, Disney has already mastered wearable tech


Forget the Apple Watch, Disney has already mastered wearable tech




www.businessinsider.in


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