Thursday, January 31, 2019
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Monday, January 28, 2019
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Friday, January 25, 2019
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
The Disney Streaming Losses Non-Story
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
January 23, 2019
I swing back and forth between fascination and frustration when it comes to the number of non-story news stories that spew forth on the Internet. But it’s particularly frustrating when non-story stories are presented in serious ways, or by supposedly serious sources.
The latest non-story stories to capture my attention were a string of articles focused on losses suffered by The Walt Disney Company tied to its streaming services. For example, a CNBC article carried the titled “Disney is already losing over $1 billion in streaming, and its Netflix competitor has yet to launch.” Similarly, a piece at The Motley Fool proclaimed “Disney's Streaming Losses Are Piling Up Already.” The stories are based on an SEC filing.
Now, considering that Disney has been making investments to start up the forthcoming Disney+ service – the company’s big streaming effort to challenge Netflix and Amazon – and therefore, with no revenues obviously coming in the door yet, losses at this point are inevitable. Factor in the investments made in BAMtech, which is and will be powering ESPN+ and Disney+, losses again amount to a firm-grasp-of-the-obvious situation. For good measure, Hulu is playing catch up in the U.S. and being positioned for expansion in Europe.
So, the real story here is simply getting a better handle on the numbers – roughly $1 billion, according to the filing – at this point in time and development. It’s not a story warranting over-the-top headlines about losses, or hyperbolic content about trouble and challenges in streaming.
Once all of Disney’s streaming services – Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu – are fully operating in the Disney universe, then we can talk seriously about growth, revenue and profitability. For now, the Disney streaming story is still about investments in content and technology, pricing, and strategy for launching and bringing about profitability.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the three latest books being Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Storyand Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Monday, January 21, 2019
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Tips From Former VP of the Magic Kingdom
Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
January 19, 2019
If you explore and pay attention, you can find tips for business, career and life in all kinds of places and from a wide array of people. That includes a former vice president who led more than 12,000 cast members at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
Dan Cockerell developed a 26-year career at Walt Disney Company, and now, as explained on his website, “provides customized, authentic presentations, focusing on leadership and management practices, drawing upon his extensive Disney career with relevant examples and inspiring storytelling.”
I heard Dan talk about Disney and his career on a Lou Mongello WDW Radio podcast (listen to the episode here), and decided to sign up for Cockerell’s weekly email. He provides a few insights from himself, a newsletter, and an article of interest.
Here are just a few brief, valuable points made by Cockerell that can help one’s business and career:
• “[H]aving a short list of things to work toward for our ideal selves is what will make life really interesting and will enable us to live with fewer regrets. So, pick something you want to do, a place you want to go, or a skill you want to learn and spend 20 minutes a day working on it. You will be surprised how much progress you will make. For me, it is not about the length of time I spend on projects but the discipline to spend time on them every single day. After a month, it's fascinating how much progress you can make!”
• “I've been in a few jobs where I was thrown into the deep end to figure the job out. Sure, you learn to be resourceful and self-reliant, but the hit to your productivity and confidence is pretty big. I suggest you dive into your training program and do an audit. Is it effective? Is it consistent? Is it happening?”
• “Did you someone frustrate you today? No, you chose to be frustrated. Did someone scare you today? No, you chose to be scared. Did someone make you happy? No, you chose to be happy. In the words of Morpheus, ‘choose wisely!’”
• “The days of acquiring education early on in life and cruising with that acquired knowledge is over! Everyday has to be a day of learning. Whether formal or informal, we all need to move our mindset to growth and improvement.”
• “Do you try things you may fail at? And I don’t mean high stake moments that will endanger your career. I mean talking to that person next to you on the plane, playing that video game with your son, or trying to learn about that new social media app. If you do, you have a growth mindset and that's good! Curiosity keeps the mind sharp and engaged. Are you curious? Do you challenge your co-workers and direct reports to be curious? If you do, you have a growth mindset and that's good!”
Sign up for these weekly email at Dan Cockerell’s website – go to https://dancockerell.com– and benefit accordingly. By the way, Cockerell also does a weekly podcast – “Come Rain or Shine” – at https://dancockerell.com/blog/podcast/.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the three latest books being Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Storyand Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
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Friday, January 18, 2019
Disney Weekend Links: Interesting Reads and More
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
January 18, 2019
Here are a few items worth exploring this weekend regarding how Disney puts on those great shows; wondering if the Avengers can save the Oscars; and how to save on theme park tickets.
How Does Disney Put on Those Resort Shows?
The Associated Press got a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney decides and puts on shows in its theme parks
Can the Avengers Save the Oscars?
The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland looks at whether or not Marvel’s Avengers can come to the rescue of declining viewership of the Academy Award.
Savings on Disney Theme Park Tickets
USA Todayoffers tips on how to save on tickets for Disney’s theme parks, which is handy after the recent announcements of price hikes.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the three latest books being Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Storyand Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Disney Demographics: Kids Have Been Slow Growth, While Growth Has Been Robust Among the Gray-Haired Set
Review/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
January 11, 2019
Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, at the time featuring the Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary Resort, the Polynesian Resort, and the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. To say that things have grown over the past near-three decades would be stating what is painfully obvious.
But one of the major changes worth highlighting is the rather dramatic shift in emphasis at Walt Disney World. Specifically, while Disney World remains a fantastic destination for families with children, it also has become, and continues to develop as a top vacation spot for adults of all ages. Of course, it helps that those adults remain kids at heart.
When we review growth in the U.S. population by age, it’s easy to see why Disney, while still very much catering to the kids, has embraced adults in a big Mickey Mouse hug as well.
Consider the age make-up of the U.S. population over the years. The numbers are presented in Table 1.
Table 1: U.S. Population by Age for Select Years (numbers in millions)
Total
|
19 & under
|
19 & under
|
20-44
|
20-44
| |
Population
|
Number
|
Share of Pop.
|
Number
|
Share of Pop.
| |
1970
|
203.2
|
77.0
|
37.90%
|
64.4
|
31.70%
|
1980
|
227.1
|
72.5
|
31.90%
|
84.5
|
37.20%
|
1990
|
248.7
|
71.3
|
28.70%
|
99.8
|
40.10%
|
2000
|
281.4
|
80.5
|
28.60%
|
104.0
|
37.00%
|
2010
|
308.7
|
83.3
|
27.00%
|
103.7
|
33.60%
|
2017
|
325.7
|
82.2
|
25.20%
|
108.4
|
33.30%
|
45-64
|
45-64
|
65 and over
|
65 and over
| ||
Number
|
Percent of Pop
|
Number
|
Share of Pop.
| ||
1970
|
41.8
|
20.60%
|
20.0
|
9.80%
| |
1980
|
44.5
|
19.60%
|
25.5
|
11.30%
| |
1990
|
46.7
|
18.80%
|
31.2
|
12.60%
| |
2000
|
62.0
|
22.00%
|
35.0
|
12.40%
| |
2010
|
81.5
|
26.40%
|
40.3
|
13.00%
| |
2017
|
84.4
|
25.90%
|
50.9
|
15.60%
| |
In 1970, the year before the Magic Kingdom came online, the U.S. population was over 203 million, including some 77 million people 19 years old or younger. This group of children and teenagers made up 37.9 percent of the population.
Jump ahead to 2017, for example, and children and teens accounted for only 25.2 percent of the U.S. population. And over this time, the decline has been rather steady.
Meanwhile, the 20-44-years-old group inched up from 31.7 percent of the population in 1970 to 33.3 percent in 2017. However, this group did make up 40 percent of the population in 1990, and has been shrinking since.
The 45-64-years-old set jumped from 20.6 percent to 25.9 percent of the population. But here the changes have been uneven, declining form 1970 to 1990, rising from 1990 to 2010, and then a small decline.
And the 65-and-over folks leaped up from 9.8 percent in 1970 to 15.6 percent in 2017 – with the rise being rather steady along the way.
However, there’s more to consider in these numbers, namely, the straightforward growth in each group. In fact, in terms of total numbers, each group grew from 1970 to 2017, along with the overall U.S. population.
Table 2: Percent Growth in Population, 1970 to 2017
Age Group
|
Growth from 1970 to 2017
|
19 & under
|
7%
|
20-44 years old
|
68%
|
45-64 years old
|
102%
|
65 years old and over
|
155%
|
Total Population
|
60%
|
From 1970 to 2017, the U.S. population grew by 60 percent. Looking at age groups, what matters is how each group expanded compared to that overall increase. The 65-and-over group jumped by an astounding 155 percent, followed by growth of 102 percent among those in the 45-to-64 group, and 68 percent in the 20-44-years-old group. Meanwhile, the number of people 19 years old or younger did grow, but only by 7 percent between 1970 and 2017.
So, America is getting grayer, and yes, much of this is about the Baby Boomers, and about Americans generally having fewer children. Other factors have come into play – such as immigration – and they will continue to matter going forward.
No doubt, the children bring families to Disney World, and that will continue to be the case. But kids, quite frankly, have been the slow-growth group. As a result, there’s much more for adults to enjoy, not only as parents and grandparents, but just by going on vacation without any children in the equation at all. That’s what the numbers tell Disney, and they’re executing accordingly.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the three latest books being Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Storyand Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
Disney Weekend Links: Interesting Reads and More
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
January 12, 2019
Here are a few
items worth exploring this weekend regarding Disney selling regional sports
networks; Disney’s Florida land purchases; the return of Lasseter; Disney and a
recession; and population changes and Disney.
Fox Not Interested in Buying Back Regional Sports
from Disney
The Hollywood
Reporter and other new outlets have reported that New Fox isn’t interested in
buying back the regional sports networks Disney must sell under the Fox deal.
However, private equity firms Apollo Global Management, KKR and Blackstone
Group, and Sinclair Broadcast Group reportedly are in the mix.
Disney’s Florida Land Purchases
Disney shelled
out $34 million for two land purchases that apparently will be for “water
conservation and wetland mitigation,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Lasseter Back to Head Up Skydance Animation
Amid
controversy, given his departure from Disney and Pixar, John Lasseter is back
to head up Skydance Animation.
Disney and a Recession?
DisneyBizJournal.com
evaluates how worried Disney and the rest of Hollywood should be about a
possible recession.
Population, Age and Disney
As the make-up
of the U.S. population skews older, Disney has responded accordingly.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher
and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant
novels, with the three latest books being Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short
Story and Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
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