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Early Info: Tubi Is Killing Disney Plus: Iger's Plan to Defeat It
🕑 Added 2024-04-22 14:39:58 +0000 UTCAs you all know, I love bringing Patreon members the news even before I put it out to the general public... and even that is ahead of the rest of the media quite often. Today, I'd like to do just that again.
A source over the weekend has informed me that Disney has been running a prototype of what they'll add to Disney+ in the next months and that it all comes down to a great fear of Tubi. Now I know it's hard to believe that Disney might be afraid of Tubi, but that's only because Tubi isn't well-known yet... but it will be if left unchecked. The free streaming platform that uses licensed content and ad-based revenue cost Fox Corp only a measly $440 million to get up and running (that's the same company that sold Disney their portion of Hulu for billions and billions of dollars). Now Tubi is right on the heels of passing Disney+ in terms of viewer engagement. Given that Tubi is funded via ads, that's the only number that matters. It also means that Tubi is already likely profitable, whereas Disney+ is about $30B in the hole with no end in sight.
For Disney, losing to Tubi would be a dealbreaker for shareholders. So it can't be allowed to happen. And Disney has been watching Tubi rise in ratings over the last year at an alarming rate. So a plan was devised.
According to this source (which makes this technically rumor, even if we have already verified some of it), Disney used their ABC app with a tiny subscriber base to test out how 24/7 live channels would work with their customers. Some of these channels have included:
CESAR MILAN: BETTER HUMAN BETTER DOG
With each channel, it's non-stop, 24/7 play of these topics, interspersed with ads... but you can't choose your episodes at all. They just play continuously. In other words, it's highly-specific cable channels 2.0. The problem Disney is facing with Disney+ is, they have to stop Tubi... and that potentially means integrating a completely different business model than they currently have. And that is murky.
Plus, Disney also has the issue of struggling with 24/7 catalogs that aren't damaged. Allegedly, Disney may be looking at a Marvel Channel, an 80s / 90s Disney Toons Channel, a NatGeo Channel and more. But REALLY the source says, Disney is now hoping to use Hulu content to generate views on Disney+ via these 24/7 channel options. Futurama is almost certain to join The Simpsons. Family Guy is almost certain to be there, along with King of the Hill. And, frankly, I have to say that this would be the very best play Disney has for catching up with ratings.
It's nothing at all like what they thought they would be doing. And it will expose how little people care for the properties that Disney has destroyed over the last decade, but it might be that Fox cartoons will save Disney in their fight to stay relevant against Netflix.
No word yet on if they have the rights to play a Blue channel.
Your pal,
Pro
Comments
Reier Gotter
In my circle of family and friends, many have quit paying for streaming services altogether outside of maybe Netflix or Prime and get the rest of their viewing content off free, ad-based services like Tubi, Pluto and Roku. I can't think of anyone I know who still subscribes to D+. Had Disney just relied on their extensive back catalog along with Fox content, D+ would have been successful. Instead they wasted billions producing "prestige" content that is poor quality and no one wants in an effort to beat Netflix at their own game.
