Welcome to TV's Tomorrowland, Walt Disney

With 2020 coming to an end Disney is making the biggest TV bet of its existence Through a spectacular fourhour plus investor presentation with more than 300000 people watching live company executives led by Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek had a clear message for them and everyone in the entertainment industry Directtoconsumer services directed to consumers generally through smart TV products is the centerpiece of our current and future and channeling a massive amount ofamp160firstrun programming that way is our path to sustenance going forwardquotThis will enable us to deliver great storiesquot Chapek declared while standing in front of a virtual Cineramalike diorama setting quotOur goal is to serve consumers in the best way possible Constantly challenge the statusquo and take bold risksquotAll three Disney directtoconsumer ventures Disney Hulu and ESPN will see Herculean leaps in original content spending collectively around 1618 billion between 2021 and 2014 when officials project breakeven or profitability for all three Disney alone which just a year ago anticipated offering 50 original titles seriesspecialsmadeforTV movies per year beginning in 2021 now will run more than 100 original titles per year through middecade and that annual output may be raised before thenFueling this bet far greater than anticipated results for all three services Disney projected to capture between 60 and 90 million customers worldwide at an investor event last year started December 2020 with 868 million customers and with holiday season action can surpass 90 million by New Year39s Day Hulu has more than 388 million subscribers all US generating 10 in advertising revenue per sub and on track to make its forecast of ending 2020 with between 4060 million subs As for ESPN there are 115 million customers right now surpassing yearend estimates between 68 million customersAmid the bombardment of content announcements from one Disney executive after another during the presentation ABC a catalyst in Disney39s TV breakthrough decades earlier was given only one moment in this spotlight That was when ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro disclosed that the network will take over coverage of Saturday afternoon Southeastern Conference football games in 2024 from CBS as part of an overall pact making ESPN and ABC the home of all SEC college sportsThe procession of original content disclosures also suggests that many key Disney units are all in with generous contributions to this new initiative especially with Disney Take Marvel Studios now promising to make at least 10 new series for Disney between now and 2024 At least half of those programs half starting with WandaVision which begins January 15 will be available by this time next year with a new series premiering every two monthsLucasfilm39s contribution will be 10 Star Wars liveaction and animated series during the next few years including two spinoffs of Emmywinning Disney hit The Mandalorian In her presentation portion Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed a TV series adaptation of fantasy film Willow is in play and suggested more nonStar Wars productions are in developmentAs for Pixar which up to now has never produced a major TV series for any Disney TV vehicle that cuttingedge animation outlet will deliver an original Disney series each year starting with Dug Days based on a character in Up next fallHulu had a fair share of content news to make inside its slice of the presentation including more series out of FXamp160 Even so some revelations were left out including FX going ahead with a twoseason biodrama covering the rise of The Rolling StonesFor all the details emerging from Disney39s multihour investor showcase there are some interesting questions about this content push awaiting answersWhat contributions will Disney TV Studio units 20th Television Searchlight and ABC Signature make for Disney and Hulu Same question for the recentlylaunched production company headed by former Touchstone TVFox 21 overseer Bert SalkeAlthough numerous announcements of on and offcamera talent of color were featured in the presentation there was no mention of Disney39s justannounced effort under Freeform President Tara Duncan to establish a new home base for series creators of color Where does that assembly fit into Disney Hulu and ESPN39s futureWhen Disney raises its monthly fee by a dollar to 799 how long will that lastAt some point will Disney offer an adsupported version similar to such megacontent competition as Peacock and soon HBO MaxDo all three services have interactive content up their sleeve as more smart TV products allow viewers to control them by voice and remote controlOne certainty This era of plentiful diverse TV is only under Disney39s new guidance going to get more plentiful and diverseClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160

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Welcome to TV's Tomorrowland, Walt Disney

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