News Josh D’Amaro Named Next CEO of The Walt Disney Company

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Will probably be resuming my AP again after a two year hiatus as my family fell into the DVC black hole and will be going to the WDW 5-6 times a year. Will be very curious to get a boots on the ground feel for how things are

…ok…I’ll bite…??

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

MoM is a fun ride, but I felt like it was basically just Gringotts again with a different skin.

It would be nice if they would some day build a Harry Potter ride that wasn't either a roller coaster or something that is a constant "something goes terribly wrong" jostling you about the whole time. Yes, the Hogwart's Express but that strikes me as more transportation with some nice elements than a full blown ride. I'd love to get a proper dark ride for Potter on the scale of HM/POTC

Excellent points

Though I’d argue Hagrids is that ride…and not coincidentally is the best

 

[_caleb]

This is kinda apples and oranges though. YT's premium model really isn't anything core to the business model. It's nice f simply a way to offer some people a buy-out - and a nice free boost to YT revenue which helps them out in the cash flow department. Revenue from subs is not even a flea on the dog compared to ad revenue.

And that's the big difference... YT has so many eyes and so many views.. that is what the ad market wants. Networks trying to play professional long form content are never going to have that kind of demo that a platform like YT or any of the video upstarts have. And while platforms can buy content creators output.. a walled garden like a D+ is never going to get the influx of content (or cheap content) something like a YT or Instagram have.

Fundamentally these businesses are so different -- even tho both are video entertainment at the end of the day. D+, etc are not platforms who monetize what moves through them.. they are distribution and consumption models for the company's content.

Yep.

Every content creator on YouTube is a promoter of YouTube. This is why Disney+ is pursuing a version of user-generated content. I'm not saying it'll work, but it makes sense. And the approach Disney is reported to be taking mitigates a lot of the risk YouTube constantly deals with.

Disney+ to Allow User-Generated Content Via AI

Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted at "productive conversations" with unnamed AI companies that would protect IP but add new features to the studio's flagship streaming service.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[SamusAranX]

…ok…I’ll bite…??

Bite as to what? what I mean by the DVC remark, or my viewpoint in person of how the parks are currently?

 

[Lilofan]

I don’t expect Josh to make drastic changes. He can’t and would never lead a price cut. But maybe bringing some lost value back to WDW. That would be signal to me it’s not the same old same old. But I’m not holding my breath

With Iger staying on as an adviser until end of fiscal year , he’d probably have to have his blessing.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Bite as to what? what I mean by the DVC remark, or my viewpoint in person of how the parks are currently?

THe first one

 

[MrPromey]

I don’t expect Josh to make drastic changes. He can’t and would never lead a price cut. But maybe bringing some lost value back to WDW. That would be signal to me it’s not the same old same old. But I’m not holding my breath

Price cuts of course, can never happen but a slowdown of increases combined with promotions that offer discounts which effectively do the same thing would pass marketing muster making it appear people are getting amazing deals rather than an admission that they've priced the market out. They can pull that stunt until inflation catches up enough that they can recover enough of the market to smooth over past pricing mistakes and go back to business with a more reasonable price increase going forward.

Honestly, things seemed for the most part, sustainable pre-COVID. They tried to pull off too much of a bump when they reopened the doors which, combined with their already ahead-of-inflation increases compounding on top of, seemed to take things too far too quickly.

They had the frogs in the pot right where they wanted us all but a certain Bob wasn't happy with the slow boil and ruined things.

They may have to play this discount game for half a decade though and besides making things more affordable, they'll be fighting against the negative perception they've earned in order to pull back the multi-generational guests they've shed over the past few years, which they're really not going to like.

 

[MrPromey]

Excellent points

Though I’d argue Hagrids is that ride…and not coincidentally is the best

Like a number of Uni's "best" attractions, though, intensity limits the audience.* Hagrids straddles that line between family and real coaster in terms of thrill and intensity which is enough to make it inaccessible to many non-thrill seekers and those who can't do such rides do to per-existing conditions.

This is, to my mind, a really big problem for UNI that prevents them from truly competing in the multi-generational family market. They have to wait for a lot of their audience to age in and then deal with a segment that's constantly aging out.

Heck, even the Jimmy Fallon attraction has height restrictions and safety warnings.

The Dreamworks addition/renovation makes it seem like they are aware of this but don't actually understand how to handle it.

*not that you'd know it looking at wait times for this one but I think that's because most of the non-served guests simply aren't showing up at the UNI parks.

 

[monothingie]

I thought it was discreet and classy…

So I was expecting much worse

I

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I

…I was disappointed…I can’t lie

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Like a number of Uni's "best" attractions, though, intensity limits the audience.* Hagrids straddles that line between family and real coaster in terms of thrill and intensity which is enough to make it inaccessible to many non-thrill seekers and those who can't do such rides.

This is, to my mind, a really big problem for UNI that prevents them from truly competing in the multi-generational family market. They have to wait for a lot of their audience to age in and then deal with a segment that's constantly aging out.

The Dreamworks addition/renovation makes it seem like they are aware of this but don't actually understand how to handle it.

*not that you'd know it looking at wait times for this one but I think that's because most of the non-served guests simply aren't showing up at the UNI parks.

It’s hard to have a “great ride” without speed and gravity…it triggers the senses on a way no slow guy can do.

We like our dark rides too…but comps that anything like that abrams crap at mgm is “just as good” is fluffing your own pillow to be honest.

 

[SamusAranX]

He first one

Ah. I don’t have much of an understanding of what DVC is, but from what I gather it’s not the program it used to be and less bang for your buck; and like a timeshare, hard to get out from, no? but they’re the kind of family that has money to burn. What a nice problem to have

 

[MrPromey]

It’s hard to have a “great ride” without speed and gravity…it triggers the senses on a way no slow guy can do.

We like are dark rides too…but comps that anything like that abrams crap at mgm is “just as good” is fluffing your own pillow to be honest.

I guess the appropriate term is "great family ride". That's always going to involve compromises to make it possible but something that doesn't automatically require a child swap section.

 

[Chi84]

I guess the appropriate term is "great family ride". That's always going to involve compromises to make it possible but something that doesn't automatically require a child swap section.

That’s where WDW excels.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Ah. I don’t have much of an understanding of what DVC is, but from what I gather it’s not the program it used to be and less bang for your buck; and like a timeshare, hard to get out from, no? but they’re the kind of family that has money to burn. What a nice problem to have

The value proposition isn’t there as it once was.

But I meant: fell down the dark hole and will go 5-6 times a year?

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Josh isn’t old so if he does a good job he might be around for a while.

 

[TanagraTheater]

No we don't, but COP is not going away till the 2040s at the possible earliest time frame. Also Josh is in his mid 50s right now and he'll be turning 70 in 2041. I have a hard time seeing still being CEO when he's 75 in 2046.

I think its more likely to see Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room going away from Magic Kingdom. My reasoning with Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room going away is due to rumors earlier this decade about Moana replacing it. Don't be shock if Walt's classic attraction goes away at some point.

Also Swiss Family Robinson Tree house is more likely to go away from Magic Kingdom than COP considering how dated Swiss Family Robinson is as an IP.

Magic Kingdom's version of the Tiki Room is my favorite. I love how spacious the theatre is and the sculpts for the tikis and birds of paradise are more refined than their Disneyland counterparts. My only gripes with it are how short the show is and how the Enchanted Fountain was never reinstated. I remember watching videos of it back in 2011 and I was so disappointed seeing how Imagineering reopened the show with several of the figures being visibly broken.

 

[Tha Realest]

They’re overpriced. Parks can’t carry their studios load…it’s already gone to far

Price cuts? No. But if he can’t reverse that perception through smoke and mirrors somehow? He’s DOA.

The math won’t work

Steaming has a 5% margin. The Parks are never getting that investment those profits made into streaming back.

 

[Kamikaze]

Quite a pickle, huh?

But generally people will still go to movies they want to see in the theaters…it’s not a conspiracy against certain studios

Never said it was. All the studios are suffering.

 

[Disney Irish]

Steaming has a 5% margin. The Parks are never getting that investment those profits made into streaming back.

Margins on streaming can improve. Netflix's margins are in the 30% range now, and I don't see any reason why Disney DTC can't get within that range in the coming years. Meaning that DTC has the potential to bring in the same margins as Experiences in the future.

As for whether Parks will "recoup" any profit used to invest in Disney DTC, that is not how corporations work. This isn't one division loaning money to another division. This is a corporation allocating all resources of the company as they see fit, including any profit used to fund other divisions and ventures. So there was never an expectation of recouping any profit used to fund any other division. Just like there is no expectation of DTC recouping any money if its profits are used to fund the next capex infusion into Parks.