Disney Focusing on MAJOR Disney+ Change

Over the past few years, cable television use has fallen, and the use of streaming services has skyrocketed. Nearly every studio seems to have its own streaming platform — Paramount+, HBO Max, Peacock (NBC), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and so many more. In 2019, Disney also decided to get in on the streaming game and launched Disney+ in November of that year.

Disney+ did see some initial success, considering that just a few months after its launch, the country was forced to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, that initial success was short-lived, and Disney quickly found itself losing hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter.

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Despite Disney+ losing money hand over fist, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek frequently assured subscribers and investors that the streamer was moving in the right direction. Chapek is now being sued by investors for misleading them about the success of the site. Going into 2024, Disney+ has lost the Mouse House more than $11 billion.

Since his return as Disney CEO, Bob Iger has made Disney+ one of his biggest focuses. He was determined to see the streaming platform succeed, so he made some very big changes, and we have just learned that more are on the way.

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Disney+, under Bob Iger, has seen many budget cuts and show cancellations. So far, we have seen more than a dozen show cancellations, including Willow, National Treasure: Edge of History, Big Shot, Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Doogie Kamealoha MD, American Born Chinese, and more.

But cutting shows to save money is only the tip of the iceberg. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Disney is trying to figure out how to get subscribers to spend more time in front of the television.

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One of their solutions? Making Disney+ more like cable.

The company is developing pop-up live channels aimed at entertaining viewers who don’t have the time or energy to scroll through viewing options, people familiar with the matter said. Some ideas that have been discussed are channels that play through the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe or popular series like “The Simpsons” from start to finish. Such channels could be sponsored or have ads or not. 

While Disney never wants to lose Disney+ subscribers, keeping them is not the only thing that will make Disney+ successful. The company also needs to keep subscribers engaged and keep them watching. Hence, why the company is thinking about giving the streaming service a more cable-like feel.

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There is a lot of money to be made with the addition of live-streaming channels, just in terms of ad revenue. However, it’s possible that Disney could decide to make some of those channels ad-free. And live-streaming is incredibly popular.

Hulu Live TV — which is also owned by Disney — is one of the most in-demand streaming services. And then there is the free streamer Pluto TV, which has a ton of content viewers can enjoy without signing up.

Despite all the struggles Disney and its streaming platform have dealt with, Iger’s refocusing and changes have made a big difference. Right from the start, he managed to stem the bleeding, but last quarter, he was able to share that, for the first time ever, Disney+ had actually made a profit.

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Disney currently owns a number of popular streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, which can be purchased together in the Disney Bundle.

Iger is showing no signs of slowing down or changing the way Disney operates its streaming service. He has said that the company is still focusing on quality over quantity. The company will be slowing down the number of original shows and movies it creates. They will look at what has been successful in the past and build on that.

What shows would you like to see Disney+ put on live channels? Do you think it would be too much like cable? Let us know in the comments!