Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro Says When It Comes To Streaming and Growth “Disney Is In A Category of One”, But Is It Really?

Today was Disney’s Upfront presentation at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Here, Disney pitches their upcoming shows and streaming offerings to advertisers they hope will offer large buys across Disney’s streaming platforms. During the presentation, new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro tried to leverage the Disney magic to make Cinderella’s carriage appear, but is it really just a dressed-up pumpkin?

Everyone wants to be us

The focus of Disney’s presentation seems to be D’Amaro touting Disney’s lineage and saying that other streamers wish they were them.

D’Amaro said that other studios and streamers want to “assemble something” bigger, and Disney already did that.

Yes, Disney did buy Fox, which gave them majority control of Hulu, along with other IP, but they famously overspent on that deal. Other companies are trying to gain rights or buy up the competition, but D’Amaro says Disney already has it.

“Everybody, in their own way, is racing to assemble something. Studios. Streaming services. Sports rights. Live events. And brands that audiences feel something about. It is, in a way, a real compliment to this company. Because what they are racing to assemble is, more or less, the picture of what we already are.”

Later, he said that no one is in the same category as Disney, 

“In a marketplace where everyone is racing to assemble what we already have, Disney is in a category of one.”

While Disney does have an impressive streaming footprint with Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN, they are not the largest platform out there.

Disney+, combined with Hulu and ESPN, still has nowhere near the number of subscribers that Netflix has.

Netflix and YouTube dominate a combined 20% of US TV viewing compared to Disney’s 5%.

YouTube is coming up quickly with sporting acquisitions. They also stole the Academy Awards show away from Disney’s ABC starting in 2029.

Disney does have a lot going for it in terms of existing buyouts and franchises, but they are not the biggest fish in the streaming sea. Not by a long shot.

Disney and other streamers are trying to integrate creator content

YouTube further has an edge over Disney with its creator content.  Now other streamers, including Disney, are scrambling to find ways to include vertical scroll and creator content to their streaming apps and services.

Since Disney is so worried about protecting their IP and brands, it will limit creators, which will limit growth in this area.

D’Amaro gave the ol’ nostalgia razzle dazzle

During the Up Front event, D’Amaro went back to his old nostalgia plays, talking about the Disney Castle and his Disney vacation memories, which led to him saying Disney has years on other studios when it comes to brand trust.

“The thing is, you cannot acquire a hundred years of trust. You can’t put generations of belonging on a balance sheet. “Disney is part of people’s lives in a way few brands have ever been. And in a world of infinite choice and constant distraction, that kind of presence is rare and getting rarer.”

He’s right. This type of presence is rare.

I would argue that once upon a time Disney embodied this, but the trust is starting to erode with constant price hikes, mishandling of legacy franchises like “Star Wars”, recent choices about family movies, lackluster storytelling, and more.

Disney has proven to be more and more corporate in their decisions and pricing. Disney has put generations on a balance sheet. That is their problem. I sincerely hope this will change, but I don’t think it will.

Hopefully for them, his nostalgia baiting worked, and they got a lot of money for the ads we will have to watch on Disney’s services.