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  • Disney+ crosses 10 million subscribers within days of its launch

    Disney+ crosses 10 million subscribers within days of its launch

    MUMBAI: Disney’s much-anticipated OTT platform Disney+ has signed up 10 million subscribers within days of its launch on 12 November, from just a few international markets of Canada, USA, and the Netherlands, and in spite of the technical glitches consumers endured on the day of its launch.

    Disney+ is yet to roll-out in many important markets.  The video-streaming service will be available in Australia and New Zealand from 19 November and more countries will join the list in the coming months. While Disney+ will not be launched in India, viewers will still be able to stream Disney+ content in India through Hotstar, even though there is no clarity on the time-frame yet.

    As Disney+ starts rolling out in newer markets, the media conglomerate will see its subscriber base soaring and as per the latest Digital TV Research report, it could have over 100 million subscribers by 2025. The company itself estimates its subscriber base to be between 60 and 90 million by 2024.

    Given Disney+ unmatched content library strength, offering 500 films and 7,500 episodes of television, the OTT platform was bound to be an instant hit. However, 10 million subscribers from just a few international markets within days of its launch, is a huge disruption in the OTT segment by any standard.

     To put this in perspective, video-streaming giant Netflix has only 150 million global subscribers after many years of existence. Hulu, another streaming service owned by Disney, has 28 million subscribers after its launch more than a decade ago.

    The huge response to Disney+ launch was not dampened even by the technical glitches people faced on the day of its launch that made its services unavailable for few hours. The company cited higher-than-expected demand as a factor.

    Disney+ subscribers will have access to over 500 movies, including three of the four highest grossing films of all time – Avengers: Endgame, Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens – as well as films from Marvel Studios including Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 2, Thor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man.

    In addition, Disney+ will offer content from National Geographic including the critically acclaimed and award- winning documentary Free Solo and the streaming debut of Science Fair.

    Also in the library are all six of the original classic Star Wars films released between 1977 and 1999, in addition to recent blockbusters Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. By the end of 2020, the entire Skywalker saga will be available on the service. Besides, it has 30 seasons of The Simpsons, 18 Pixar movies – including Wall-E, Up, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Inside Out and Brave – plus thousands of episodes of Disney Channel and Disney Junior series. These include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Kim Possible, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, PJ Masks and Jake & the Never Land Pirates.

  • Indians await eagerly as Disney+ launches in foreign markets

    Indians await eagerly as Disney+ launches in foreign markets

    Mumbai: Walt Disney’s OTT service Disney+ launched in the US, Canada and Netherlands today, even as there is no clarity on when its unmatchable content library, offering 500 films and 7,500 episodes of television, will be made available to Indian viewers through its Hotstar platform.

    In April it was reported that while Disney+ will not be launched in India, viewers will still be able to stream its content directly via Hotstar at no extra cost. This could be a smart move since Hotstar, which is a subsidiary of Star India, is now owned by Disney and having a subscriber base of over 300 million, it’s currently the most popular OTT platform in India.

    Hotstar, reportedly, has elaborate plans to localise Disney+ content, by dubbing shows and movies and adding subtitles in multiple Indian languages including Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Hotstar already offers its original shows in seven Indian languages.

    While November also saw the launch of much-awaited Apple TV+ at as low as Rs 99 per month in India, Disney+, a late-entrant to OTT platform, is set to stand out in the crowded Indian OTT market, owing to its unmatchable content library.

    Disney+ unmatchable content library

    The streaming service will offer over 500 movies, including three of the four highest grossing films of all time – Avengers: Endgame, Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens – as well as films from Marvel Studios including Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 2, Thor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man.

    Rounding off the movie line-up are Marvel television series from the 1970s to present day, including X-Men, Spider-Man and Marvel’s Runaways.

    In addition, Disney+ will offer content from National Geographic including the critically acclaimed and award- winning documentary Free Solo and the streaming debut of Science Fair.

    Also in the library are all six of the original classic Star Wars films released between 1977 and 1999, in addition to recent blockbusters Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. By the end of 2020, the entire Skywalker saga will be available on the service. Besides, it has 30 seasons of The Simpsons, 18 Pixar movies – including Wall-E, Up, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Inside Out and Brave – plus thousands of episodes of Disney Channel and Disney Junior series. These include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Kim Possible, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, PJ Masks and Jake & the Never Land Pirates.

    Disney+ India strategy

    In April it was reported that Hotstar is going to offer Disney+ content at no extra cost. Its existing plans are—Hotstar Premium at Rs 299 per month and Rs 999 per year and Hotstar VIP at Rs. 365 per year.

    Given Disney’s unmatched content library and the fact that this content will be streaming on Hotstar at no extra cost, Indian consumers, especially in the metro cities, are eagerly awaiting its launch. Marvel Studio films have a huge fan base in Indian metro cities and although Disney+ has not announced any Indian original shows, this is not going to pinch subscribers as they already have access to Hotstar original Indian shows in as many as seven Indian languages.

    Industry experts are unanimous that the strategy behind bundling of Disney+ content at Hotstar will, no doubt, help the OTT platform that already has exclusive digital telecasting rights for big sporting events like IPL, ISL, and pro-Kabbadi league, and will help it emerge as the undisputed leader in the crowded OTT market in India.

  • Walt Disney OTT platform Disney+ goes on-air in US, Canada, and the Netherlands

    Walt Disney OTT platform Disney+ goes on-air in US, Canada, and the Netherlands

    Mumbai: Disney+ has launched today in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands, with The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) CEO Robert Iger declaring it a “historic moment” for the company.

    The service arrives with nearly 500 films and 7,500 episodes of television from brands such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic and costs US$6.99 per month or US$69.99 for a year.

    Series exclusive to the service include The Mandalorian, the first-ever live-action Star Wars series; High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, a scripted series set at the real-life East High featured in the blockbuster film franchise; docu-series The World According to Jeff Goldblum from National Geographic; Marvel’s Hero Project; and Encore! executive produced by Kristen Bell.

    Beginning November 15, most new episodes of each series will premiere on Fridays at 12:01 AM PT.

    “The launch of Disney+ is a historic moment for our company that marks a new era of innovation and creativity,” said Iger, chairman and CEO, TWDC.

    TWDC expects to launch Disney+ in most major global markets within its first two years. It will launch next week in Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico on November 19.

    It was announced earlier this month that on March 31, 2020, the ad-free service will launch in markets across Western Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

    Disney+ features three of the four highest grossing films of all time in Avengers: Endgame, Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, plus animated classics Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty & the Beast, Pinocchio, Bambi and The Lion King.

    Elsewhere, it has 30 seasons of The Simpsons, 18 Pixar movies – including Wall-E, Up, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Inside Out and Brave – plus thousands of episodes of Disney Channel and Disney Junior series. These include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Kim Possible, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, PJ Masks and Jake & the Never Land Pirates.

    It also features over 400 hours of content from National Geographic, including the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary Free Solo and the streaming debut of Science Fair.

    Also in the library are all six of the original classic Star Wars films released between 1977 and 1999, in addition to recent blockbusters Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. By the end of 2020, the entire Skywalker saga will be available on the service.

    It also includes films from Marvel Studios including Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 2, Thor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man.

    Rounding off the library are Marvel television series from the 1970s to present day, including X-Men, Spider-Man and Marvel’s Runaways.

    Disney+ offers subscribers up to four concurrent streams, unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices, personalised recommendations and the ability to set up to seven different profiles. Additionally, parents have the ability to set profiles for children to access age-appropriate content.

    Starting today, consumers in the US also have the opportunity to purchase a Disney bundle featuring Disney+, Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ for US$12.99 per month.

  • Strong Netflix growth underlines OTT growth potential in India

    Strong Netflix growth underlines OTT growth potential in India

    MUMBAI: Netflix India has just posted its earnings with the registrar of companies and reportedly, the video streaming giant has grown more than 700 per cent in the past 12 months.

    While the company doesn’t share these details publicly, an ET Tech report, quoting Netflix’s annual filing, says that the Indian-arm of American video streaming giant recorded overall revenues of Rs 466.7 crore with a net profit of Rs 5.1 crore. In 2018, the company had a turnover of mere Rs 58 crore with Rs 20 lakh net profit.

    No doubt, Netflix has upped its game in India by investing in expanding local content, a high-stakes marketing blitzkrieg and the launch of mobile-only plans starting at as low as Rs 199 per month, Netflix’s lowest subscription plan anywhere in the world. The strong growth posted by Reed Hastings-owned company, however, only underlines the tremendous growth potential for OTT platforms in the Indian market.

    As per EY and FIICI 2019 report – ‘A Billion Screens of Opportunity,’ the OTT sector in India grew by a whopping 59 per cent in FY2019, growing from Rs 13.5 billion in 2018 to Rs 17 billion in 2019. The sector is estimated to reach Rs 24 billion by 2021. PwC, in its 2019 annual report – ‘Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2019-2023,’ estimated that the Indian OTT market will grow to Rs 11,976 crore by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 21.8 per cent. During that period, India is also slated to be the eight biggest OTT market overtaking South Korea.

    OTT platform expansion in India is also supported by rising digital penetration and disposable income. In 2018, digital media grew 42 per cent to reach Rs 169 billion. As per the FICCI 2019 report, paid video subscribers grew from around 7 million in 2017 to around 12-15 million in 2018. The report further estimates that India could have 30-35 million paying OTT subscribers (and a further 350+ million subscribers accessing bundled OTT services from telcos) by 2021.

    All these market studies only buttress one point, i.e. there is enough space for over 30 OTT players in India, both home-grown like Zee5 and AltBalaji, as well as global-giants like Netflix, Amazon and Hotstar, to co-exist and grow simultaneously. The same is also reflected in the ever-increasing subscription base of all these platforms.

    While Netflix in India registered near 700 per cent growth, in terms of subscribers, it’s still dwarfed by Hotstar that has upwards of 300 million active monthly users in India. In comparison, both Netflix and Amazon, the two global-giants in video-on-demand industry, together have less than 30 million subscribers in India. Even the home-grown late-entrant to the party, ZEE5, digital-arm of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd's (ZEEL) launched in February 2018, increased its monthly active users from 21.7 million in the first quarter of 2018 to 76.4 million in the first quarter of 2019.

    It’s pertinent to note that different OTT platforms in India are also adopting different expansion strategies. While global premium content was Netflix’s strength, Amazon expansion was helped by its clubbing of Amazon prime video with its online-retail service. Hotstar banked on sports telecast, whereas ZEE5 launched in 12 different languages, making it a strong player in the expanding regional market.

    To be sure, though, the road-ahead for OTT platforms in India is not all that rosy. For one, no OTT platform has yet cracked the perfect monetisation model. While revenue and subscriber base are, indeed, increasing at a healthy pace, net profits are still meagre. Even Netflix, despite registering a 700 per cent growth rate, has posted a net profit of only Rs 5 crore. Barring Hotstar, that generates revenue through advertising during live sporting events, no other OTT player has successfully integrated advertising on their platforms.

    For now, Netflix India is reaping dividends of being the early-mover in the market, as well as strong global premium content combined with local original shows and movie titles. Last fiscal, Netflix released six original films, five web-series and one docuseries in Hindi. The company has also signed an exclusive output deal with Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment. However, the OTT war for subscribers in India is only heating up. With the foray of global players like Apple TV+ and Disney+, as well as region-specific OTT platforms like Hoichoi and Simply South, the Indian OTT market may see further segmentation, forcing companies to constantly innovate, expand and experiment with a variety of new advertising models.

  • Star India’s Sanjay Gupta: The King maker who is now King

    Star India’s Sanjay Gupta: The King maker who is now King

    MUMBAI: For years, the spotlight has been on former journalist-turned-media executive Uday Shankar at Star India (now Disney Star India). Reams of copy have been written about how Uday has supercharged the formerly Rupert Murdoch-now-Disney owned media organisation with his dash of entrepreneurship. However, much less has been written about his maanging director Sanjay Gupta who has been relatively in the shadows.

    Yes, he has addressed public gatherings such as Ficci Frames, and has represented Star India in forums, but on most occasions, Uday’s larger than life personality has overshadowed Sanjay’s.

    Enough conversations had happened between keen Star India observers on whether something would give in the top management of the company now that Disney was the owner and processes very different from what executives had been used to were being put in place. So when news broke that Sanjay had put in his papers and was joining Google India as country manager and VP, sales and operations – stepping in the big shoes of Rajan Anandan – for most it was surprising and not a rude shock.

    Ten years at the top in an organisation is a long time, and Sanjay rightfully earned his stripes. A former Hindustan Lever and Bharti Airtel professional he brought in a sharp rigour as far as  brand and consumer focus is concerned into a media company. He helped in the transformation of Star India from being just a broadcaster to one which thought consumer – in almost every situation. Similar to what Pradeep Guha did at the The Times of India in the eighties and nineties. 

    Sanjay also showed he has the ability to take an idea, make it a reality and scale it up into a money making machine. He proved the perfect foil to Uday who thought big, bigger than any one in the India media firmament had hitherto done. Uday could do so because Rupert and James had the utmost confidence in him and backed him at every stage.

    No one knows this about Sanjay more than Uday. In an email to the Star India team on his deputy’s announcement to leave the organisation, Uday has labeled him “his friend and partner” saying he helped him build Star India for over a decade.

    He further confesses in the email:  “I have never had to share the news of a departure that would have so much impact on our lives. Sanjay has been the person who has taken charge of my craziest ideas and audacious ambitions of this company and has made them real and successful…every time. He leaves a void in my life that would be impossible to fill.…”

    Theories are manifold why Sanjay chose to part ways. Among them: there is not enough room at the top for two fabulous executives in the new Disney-Star India structure. Yes Uday has a larger remit of all of Asia. And Sanjay was in charge of the India operations. However, India is too close to Uday’s heart, hence it was difficult for him to let Sanjay run the ship independently.

    Both Uday and Sanjay will rubbish this as sheer balderdash. Which it probably is.

    More likely is the conjecture that Sanjay got an opportunity that he could not let go. Leading the Indian operations of one of the world’s largest media and technology companies is something that is extremely appealing to a professional. And that too at Google India – which is part of Alphabet. Google India is a leader in the digital space accounting more than a billion dollars in revenue in the country and its operations encompass almost every part of Indians’ lives. The company has been helping – and has further  plans to help –  in the digitisation of India in every way possible which immediately expands the kind of exciting opportunities and challenges that Sanjay will have to deal with. And being a consumer focused executive who honed his skills at Hindustan Lever, the Google assignment got him smacking his chops.

    If one goes by the praise that Uday has heaped upon Sanjay, then he appears to be perfect for the job. Says he in the email: “…there is no one quite gifted as Sanjay in the entire Indian M&E sector. Based on my experience, I can say that there are few like him in the Indian corporate sector as a whole.”

    For Star India, however, Uday says it is time to step up because  “the great company that Sanjay built must continue to scale greater heights."

    One will have to wait and watch whether Uday will continue to pilot  Star India along with his Asian responsibilities or whether he will bring in another executive to replace Sanjay from outside or promote from within. Whatever direction it takes, Sanjay’s act will be a challenging one to follow.

  • Star and Disney head Sanjay Gupta to join Google as new Country Manager

    Star and Disney head Sanjay Gupta to join Google as new Country Manager

    MUMBAI: Sanjay Gupta, who steered Star and Disney India growth by expanding its digital footprint and acquisition of broadcasting rights for critical sporting events,  has stepped down and is expected to join Google India as its country manager and vice president of sales and operations.

    Gupta, as MD of Star and Disney India, took bold decisions and made Star into one of the country’s largest media company. He was instrumental in expanding Star footprint on digital platform.

    Launched in 2015, Hotstar, Star’s OTT platform, is far ahead than its competitors with over 300 million monthly active users, as per the latest available data, more than double the Netflix’s 150 million global users.

    Gupta, who has joined Star in April 2009 as COO, also built Star’s sports broadcasting business with acquisting of broadcast rights for major sporting events like IPL, Pro-Kabaddi League and football league, Indian Super League.

    In September 2017, Star India trumped Facebook, Reliance Jio, Sony and Bharti Airtel, and won broadcast rights for IPL for whopping Rs 16,347.50 crore for the next five years. That bet has largely paid off. This IPL season, Hotstar topped the 10 million concurrent viewership mark a number of times and in May this year, Hotstar set a new world record when 18.6 million users simultaneously tuned into Hotstar’s website and app to watch the final IPL game.

    Under his stewardship, Star also expanded its footprint in regional content. In June 2017, Star India launched India’s first ever regional language sports channel in Tamil. In 2018, Star broadcasted IPL in 6 languages, including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bangla. In July 2019, Star launched its Marathi sports channel. Star also operates an array of regional channels like Star Jalsha, Star Vijay, Star Pravah, Asianet, Star Maa TV, Star Suvarna.

    Gupta, who has nearly three decade expirence, is expected to join Google where he succeeds Rajan Anandan, who left Google eight-months-ago to join Sequoia Capital India as its managing director.

  • Disney reports strong quarterly result; strikes deal with Amazon for Disney+

    Disney reports strong quarterly result; strikes deal with Amazon for Disney+

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company reported its fourth quarter earnings when it’s nearing the launch of its Disney+ streaming platform. Moreover, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said that the Mouse House has struck a distribution deal for its Disney+ streaming service with Amazon.com, and the service will be carried by Amazon's Fire TV.

    "We've spent the last few years completely transforming The Walt Disney Company to focus the resources and immense creativity across the entire company on delivering an extraordinary direct-to-consumer experience, and we're excited for the launch of Disney+ on November 12," he added.

    The company delivered a strong financial result compared to the previous quarterly report for its fourth quarter, with diluted earnings per share of $1.07 beating Wall Street analysts’ consensus forecast of 95 cents. Even, the total revenue reached $19.1 billion in the quarter exceeding the analysts’ estimate for $19.04 billion.

    Media Networks revenues for the quarter increased 22 per cent to $6.5 billion, and segment operating income decreased 3 per cent to $1.8 billion. Cable Networks revenues for the quarter increased 20 per cent to $4.2 billion and operating income decreased $19 million to $1.3 billion. In addition to that, the company’s theme parks arm also experienced growth, with revenues for the quarter jumping 8 per cent to $6.7 billion, and segment operating income rising 17 per cent to $1.4 billion.

  • Disney and Star India take part inthe largest meal packing activity for rise against hunger india by packing 700,000 meals

    Disney and Star India take part inthe largest meal packing activity for rise against hunger india by packing 700,000 meals

    MUMBAI: Thousands of Disney VoluntEARS in India came together to celebrate Disney VoluntEARS Week (September 16-20) and packed over 700,000 meals for local communities across six cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Trivandrum. This is the largest meal packing activity for Rise Against Hunger India.

    This year, over 4000 employees from Disney and Star India came together to give forward and became heroes in their local communities. They dedicated one hour each towards packing meals that comprised of dry uncooked rice, dal, dehydrated vegetables and a micronutrient blend of 23 essential vitamins and minerals. In addition to packing meals, Disney VoluntEARS coloured Mickey themed greeting cards for children in hospitals.

    “We are proud to collaborate with Rise Against Hunger India on this milestone achievement. We are thrilled to see such high levelenthusiasm amongst our employees to come together and pack over 700,000 meals this year,” said Sanjay Gupta, Country Manager, Star and Disney India. “It is our pleasure tojoin hands with the NGO in their movement to distribute food and life-changing aid to the local underprivileged community,” he added.

    “Rise Against Hunger India is honored to have Disney as one of its biggest supporters and donors, helping our movement towards a hunger-free India. The current engagement is by far our biggest single-donor and multi-location event.  Disney VoluntEARS have always displayed tremendous spirit of volunteerism, compassion and concern for others.  With such committed and compassionate hunger warriors, we are sure the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 will be achieved without a doubt,” said Dola Mohapatra, Executive Director, Rise Against Hunger India.

    Disney in India has had a long-standing relationship with Rise Against Hunger India partnering with them in 2016 and 2018. 

    The Disney VoluntEARS program started in India since the official launch of the brand in 2004. Last year, 465 Disney VoluntEARS supported various charitable events, and contributed over 1000 hours across India. 

  • Disney CEO Bob Iger resigns from Apple’s board

    Disney CEO Bob Iger resigns from Apple’s board

    MUMBAI: Disney CEO Bob Iger has stepped down from Apple’s board of directors the day Apple announced the price and release date for its streaming service. The resignation comes at a time when both the companies are upping the game in the streaming business.

    Apple revealed on 10 September, the day Iger departed, the new details about Apple TV+, a $4.99-per-month service that will launch on 1 November. Around the same time, Disney is also launching its streaming video service Disney+ on 12 November. As both the companies are looking at creating original content, the two services will increasingly come into conflict in the future.

    “It has been an extraordinary privilege to have served on the Apple board for eight years, and I have the utmost respect for Tim Cook, his team at Apple, and for my fellow board members,” Iger said in a statement. “Apple is one of the world’s most admired companies, known for the quality and integrity of its products and its people, and I am forever grateful to have served as a member of the company’s board,” he added further.

    The two companies were in cordial relations for a long time. Iger and late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs were personal friends. Jobs became a Disney director and major shareholder when Disney bought Pixar. After Job’s death in 2011, Iger joined Apple’s board.

    “While we will greatly miss his contributions as a board member, we respect his decision and we have every expectation that our relationship with both Bob and Disney will continue far into the future,” Apple said in a statement.

  • Disney enters 5-year production, post-production deal with Microsoft

    Disney enters 5-year production, post-production deal with Microsoft

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Studios (Disney) has entered a five-year deal with Microsoft to move key parts of its movie-making and distribution processes to the cloud. Under the new partnership, the initial focus will be on moving some of the studio’s editing to the cloud.

    According to a report from Variety, Disney’s StudioLab, an internal innovation incubation lab, will lead the deal. The ultimate goal is to use Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform all the way “from scene to screen”.

    “There are tons of benefits of being in the cloud,”  Walt Disney Studios chief technology officer Jamie Voris said as quoted by Variety. He also added that cloud-based editing will allow Walt Disney Studios to more easily collaborate across multiple locations. He explained that working collaboratively on the same project in the cloud will also cut down the need to store and administer many different copies of a file.

    “It really feels like we are at the tipping point for cloud in media and entertainment,” said Microsoft US president Kate Johnson. "We like to think of us as the platform cloud for media and entertainment,” she added further. Disney opted for Microsoft because other cloud competitors weren't as focused on the media space.