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  • Disney showcases perfect marriage of creativity and tech at shareholder meeting

    Disney showcases perfect marriage of creativity and tech at shareholder meeting

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Co held its 2025 annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, with boss Bob Iger waxing lyrical about the firm’s “perfect marriage of exceptional creativity and groundbreaking technological achievement” which, he insisted, “has always set Disney apart.”

    “Since the company’s earliest years under Walt, technology has always been viewed as a powerful storytelling tool, and innovation has been in our DNA since the start,” Iger declared in a video message from Walt Disney Imagineering’s headquarters in Glendale, California.

    In a move that would make even Darth Vader crack a smile, Iger was joined by a flock of BDX droids—the same mechanical marvels that have been harassing guests at Disneyland—which will soon make their silver screen debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu, next year’s highly anticipated Star Wars cash cow.

    The mouse house enjoyed a whopper of a year at the global box office in 2024, with Iger crowing about its  “outstanding” performance following a reorganisation that “restored creativity to the centre of our studios.”
    The company’s popular franchises brought home the bacon, with Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2 claiming the top three spots at the box office. Talk about a triple threat.

    Disney’s critical success was equally impressive. “Our renewed focus on quality over quantity has also resulted in outstanding critical success,” Iger boasted, noting that the company bagged a whopping 60 Emmy Awards, led by Shogun and The Bear. The firm also scooped 15 Oscar nominations, with Kieran Culkin winning Best Supporting Actor for his turn in Searchlight Pictures’ A Real Pain.

    Looking ahead, Iger dropped a bombshell: a sequel to Coco, Pixar’s 2017 Academy Award-winning tearjerker, is in the works. “While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humour, heart, and adventure,” he said, no doubt sending Mickey-shaped dollar signs spinning in shareholders’ eyes.

    The Disney chief was keen to remind everyone that all these cinematic delights “will all be accessible on Disney+,” expanding the firm’s “rich library of a century’s worth of storytelling.”

    “By giving subscribers the option to watch what they love most from across the worlds of Disney, all in one place, we are turning Disney+ into the ultimate streaming destination,” Iger declared.

    With the recent additions of Hulu and ESPN tiles on Disney+, the company has created what Iger calls a “seamless streaming experience” that is “both convenient and user-friendly.” And when ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering launches in early autumn, subscribers can access the full suite of ESPN’s networks from inside Disney+. How thoughtful.

    Turning to Disney’s Experiences segment, Iger was practically bursting with excitement. “Last year we talked about our plans to turbocharge growth in this segment through strategic investments. Today I’m proud to share some of what we’ve been up to,” he gushed. “Right now, we have more projects underway around the world than at any time in our history.”

    The Magic Kingdom is undergoing its largest expansion ever, including a new area inspired by Cars and a much-anticipated Villains-themed land where guests can presumably pay $15 for a villain-themed ice cream while queuing for three hours.

    A Monsters Inc. themed land is coming to Hollywood Studios, featuring the company’s first-ever vertical lift coaster (guaranteed to make your wallet feel lighter than your stomach). Meanwhile, a new Tropical Americas land is headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with attractions based on Encanto and Indiana Jones.

    Disney Cruise Line is also expanding, which will allow the company to “double our capacity to reach millions more people around the world,” according to Iger. Because nothing says “magical experience” like being trapped on a boat with thousands of screaming children wearing Mickey ears.

    Iger also took time to highlight Disney’s charitable efforts, noting that in the wake of the devastating wildfires in Southern California, the company committed $15 million to recovery efforts.

    “We remain the No. 1 wish-granter in the world for children facing critical illness, and on average Disney grants a child’s wish every hour of every day,” he said, temporarily making even the most cynical shareholders feel warm and fuzzy.

    Iger concluded his remarks by returning to technology: “Thanks to modern technology, there’s never been a better time to be a storyteller,” he said.

    Or, indeed, a Disney shareholder.

  • Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden outlines corp strategic vision

    Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden outlines corp strategic vision

    MUMBAI: Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, delivered a comprehensive overview of the company’s operations and future direction at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on 4 March 2025, addressing key areas of investor interest including streaming profitability, content strategy, and technological innovation.

    Walden explained how Disney’s restructuring under CEO Bob Iger has created a “clean structure” with three segments: Disney experiences under Josh D’Amaro, ESPN under Jimmy Pitaro, and Disney entertainment co-led by herself and Alan Bergman. Within their division, Bergman oversees film studios and branded series, whilst Walden manages global television, with joint responsibility for Disney+ and Hulu, including ad sales, technology, and platform distribution.

    She emphasised that this structure has “restored the authority to creative executives” who understand “how to create stories at scale” whilst connecting “the people who approved the spending to the revenue.” Disney Studios achieved market dominance with $5.5 billion at the box office, which Walden suggested was “more than all the other studios combined, or very close.” The company also claimed half of the top ten most streamed shows of the year.

    Walden highlighted a dramatic financial improvement in Disney’s streaming business, transitioning from “losing over $1 billion a quarter” to becoming “profitable, growing revenue and delivering with visibility towards double-digit margins.” She noted that Disney+ is still only five years old, emphasising the rapid pace of achievement.
    The integration of Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers was described as “an extraordinary value” that is “driving engagement” and “improving our churn dynamic.” 

    Upcoming content releases like Moana 2 (arriving on Disney+ on 12 March) will serve as “a huge event for subscribers, both in terms of acquisition and engagement,” followed by Mufasa in late March.

    Disney’s creative prowess was underscored by its 60 Emmy Awards, which Walden pointed out was “more than any of our competitors ever,” whilst “the rest of the industry split the other 69 awards.”

    Regarding international growth, Walden discussed the company’s investment in local content development over the past two years, citing the Korean series Moving which attracted “over 1.5 million subscribers.” She outlined a three-tiered approach: “local for local, local for regional, and global for the whole world.”

    On ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service, Walden confirmed the flagship product would launch later this year with “new features that will really blow people away.” She highlighted recent additions to Disney+, including an ESPN tile with over 3,000 hours of programming and the newly launched SC+, a daily SportsCenter show that provides “a daily touch point for sports” and a “reason every day to open the app.”

    In the competitive children’s entertainment space, Walden asserted Disney’s dominance in the preschool segment, with Bluey emerging as the most streamed show in the United States last year, driving “60 billion minutes of engagement on Disney+.” She acknowledged the fragmented viewing habits of older children across social media, gaming and YouTube, noting Disney’s “meaningful and great partnership with YouTube” where they produce “thousands of videos” with Disney Junior having “22 million subscribers.”

    Walden revealed that Disney is developing technology features that will “specifically address how kids are interacting with content right now in a very contemporary way,” whilst also highlighting the success of Disney Playtime, a linear-style channel that helps “introduce this young audience to multiple franchises.”

    On technology, Walden countered the notion that Disney needs to become a great technology company, asserting “Disney is a great technology company and a great storytelling company,” citing the Imagineers’ work in parks, Pixar’s production innovations, and the acquisition of BamTech. She highlighted key technology hires including Adam Smith from YouTube as Head of Technology and Andre Rohe from YouTube and Meta as Head of Engineering, who are focused on “algorithmic programming and personalization, deploying AI across all of our services.”

    Walden identified advertising as “absolutely a growth area,” leveraging Hulu’s position as “the original ad solutions partner on streaming video.” She touted Disney’s technological advantages in “automation, programmatic targeting, the ability to work with the biggest DSPs to share data in a clean room,” claiming Disney is “significantly ahead of our competitors in this space.”

    Concluding her remarks, Walden expressed confidence in Disney’s leadership team, describing the company as being in “incredibly good hands” under CEO Bob Iger, with “a small leadership team who deliver so much value” and “excellent” company culture.