DVDizzy.com

Q: How many movies a year will you make for Disney+, and how will it work?

Sean Bailey: The ambition is in the four-to-five range for our group. With the streaming service, we can make a bigger range of movies. We've made films — Queen of Katwe; McFarland, USA; Million Dollar Arm — where the filmmakers did a wonderful job but [the films] didn't make money. We were all disappointed. We just couldn't make them work. The fact that we have a new place where we think the audience will be very satisfied is really exciting for us. [...] We're making original movies for our streaming service. We wrapped Stargirl, directed by Julia Hart, last week in New Mexico. We're shooting Togo, based on real-life events about a dog and an incredible rescue in Alaska. Tom McCarthy is showing us his movie in the coming weeks called Timmy Failure, which is, again, from a book series. None of these are Disney canon or have ever been on the screen before.

Based on demographic data from 45 countries, Evercore ISI analyst Vijay Jayant estimates that the total addressable market for internet TV is 760 million households worldwide—ones that can afford a $9 a month service and can support streaming requirements. Some 240 million of these are well-off enough to afford a Disney service even if they already have one from Netflix. He projects that Disney+ will attract 20 million domestic subscribers in its first five years, plus nearly 35 million international ones, resulting in about $5 billion in revenue by 2024, with the venture turning profitable that year.

I don't know if it has been mentioned already, but since the new streaming service from Disney will only be available in America at first as far as I know, then what about Netflix in other parts of the world? If Disney is pulling their content from Netflix, which after all is paying them good Money for it, there will be no streaming services in for instance Europe that can offer material from Disney and Fox (possibly with the exception for services where you pay for each individual title and doesn't require membership). Sounds like a waste.

The popular new TV show from Disney’s Freeform channel is now casting for couples to participate in upcoming seasons that will air on Disney+.

“There may be as many as 18 films and 16 TV series in some form of development for [Disney+], plus we expect some licensed content to be purchased or repurchased from other outlets as Disney looks to fill in programming gaps prior to the service’s launch later this year,” the analysts write.

Q: How does Disney's push into streaming, with Disney+ coming this year, change your job?

Alan Horn: The service will accommodate both film and television product, so each of the entities that is under my umbrella is charged with the challenge or responsibility of coming up with programming that can go directly to the service. I say to Sean Bailey, "I have good news. You can now make a McFarland, U.S.A. again." That was an example of a wonderful movie that lost money. But this is the perfect vehicle for that kind of movie. Kathy Kennedy and Lucasfilm came up with the idea — it wasn't mine — of an episodic Star Wars series called The Mandalorian, done by Jon Favreau. And the people at Disney Animation and Pixar are saying, "What can we do?" Everyone wears an additional hat now. Bob has said the service is now his No. 1 priority. Netflix and companies like Amazon represent the great disruption in our business and a seismic shift in consumer offerings and viewing patterns. The interesting thing, which is not resolved yet, is how big is the consumer appetite for these incremental services? I like our chances.

Q: How many movies will the various labels make each year for the service?

Alan Horn: The quality of the idea and the piece itself will drive whether we can make it or not. Sean may have three or four a year that he can contribute, and Marvel has a few things — we're doing [a series] with Tom Hiddleston playing the Loki character.

And THIS. THIS was the thing I was afraid of:

https://twitter.com/DisneyTVA/status/10 ... 9298569216


And I am not going to take this lying down, I'm telling you now.

I wonder if they'll bother now giving home video releases to the films that Disney hasn't released on Blu-Ray (Make Mine Music, Melody Time, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Black Cauldron, So Dear to My Heart, etc.)