What’s Going On Here?

Media giant Disney reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit growth late last week – and Enchanted investors sent its shares up 4%.

What Does This Mean?

• Disney’s last quarter was definitely more Beauty than Beast. Revenue from its iconic theme parks and broadcast networks grew – but the real Aladdin’s cave was its movie studio. Thanks to the roaring success of The Lion King, revenue there was over 50% higher than a year ago – and profit was up 80%.
• But the Sorcerer’s Apprentice has yet more magic up its sleeve. Following a trial in the Netherlands, new streaming service Disney Plus launches in the US and Canada – with the UK and much of Europe early next year. Over time, Disney hopes the service will prove more Blank Check than Flubber – but high launch costs mean Disney Plus is set to cost the company $800 million this quarter.

Why Should I Care?

The bigger picture: Let distribution battles commence.

• Disney has a plan to get one Up on streaming rivals Netflix and Apple. It’s teaming up with Amazon to distribute Disney Plus via its Fire TV, Samsung via its televisions, and will bundle Disney Plus in with existing Disney-owned subscription services like ESPN+ and Hulu.
• While even this Zootopia is unlikely to mean it immediately matches Netflix’s 158 million subscribers, it might help Disney Plus Bolt past Apple, whose recent effort hasn’t found favor among movie buffs.

For you personally: National Treasure or Finding Nemo?

• Choosing which if any of these tech and media companies to invest in is hard enough. One way to decide might be with your eyes: you’ll probably need to subscribe to more than one service; which of the streamers you choose to cut might offer clues about others’ choices.

Content source: Finimize. (2019) Disney Takes The Mickey. Available from: https://www.finimize.com/wp/news/disney-takes-mickey/ [Accessed 11 November, 2019]