Disney CEO Bob Chapek says that Disney+ will. become a consumer engagement platform deeply integrated with the theme park experience
According to Bob Chapek, Disney will be using detailed data on theme park visits to personalize Disney+ content.
www.wdwmagic.com
I see what Chapek is going for, but unlike say, Google/Facebook hyper targeting advertising or content you like, a ride doesn’t equate precisely to a film/show since an IP can be used from anything from a bathroom to a land. Disney Plus’ viewing habits are going to be mostly self-contained, but that doesn’t mean the parks can’t offer some insight.
However, going into a Tangled bathroom is not going to show your want for Tangled, or if you get motion sick and skip Star Tours even if you love C-3PO. Unlike what Chapek thinks, people aren’t *just* going for a specific IP; the execution of the IP in theme parks is the main impact. Theme parks are their own unique being.
Likewise, even if interacting with an IP at a theme park shows you want that IP on Disney Plus, a 60 year old who likes Tangled is not going to watch a Tangled show for 5 year olds. It’s not black and white.
If anything, the benefit would be marginal and not gravitational, so
it’s worth exploring, but not if it’s going to cost
100’s of millions.
Disney’s ‘tech’ endeavors have been My Disney Genie Day’s multi-million useless algorithm-based Tip Board and before that the billion+
Fastpass+, so I assume it will not be executed to any benefit. In those two cases, they can be explained as Disney again not getting the parks. Tip Board tries to tailor wants of park goers with operational capacity which is fine for a model assuming the right inputs but inaccurate when making personal predictions without any nuance an actual park goer has and with major capacity constraints.
Fastpass+ didn’t consult operations at all and cost well over a billion dollars.
It’s tempting to say that because streaming platforms are viewed as tech companies—they’re *mostly not* actually—that means Disney is a tech company which has led them into a bizarre mindset recently with the success of Disney Plus. Even if a streaming service is assumed to be tech rather than a cable/distribution replacement, they’ve also had a huge failure with
Maker Studios when they were trying to act like Google. And while the various Disney apps have great features (MagicMobile, Dining reservations, etc.), they are slow even on newer phones, eat battery life, and have convoluted layouts.
TWDC does not know what it is. If Chapek actually thinks Disney is a tech company, we surely haven't seen the worst of what he can do.