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Brought to fans, investors, entrepreneurs, executives, teachers, professors, and students by columnist, economist, novelist, reviewer, podcaster, business reporter and speaker Ray Keating

Monday, August 31, 2020

Restaurant Review: The Polite Pig Makes for Must-Do Disney Dining

by Beth Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 31, 2020

When the kids were little, picking a dining location at Disney was easier.  It had to offer chicken nuggets. A character appearance was a plus. But other than that, the decisions were pretty much up to mom and dad to choose. Now that the “kids” are adults in their own right, they seem to have a lot more to say about our choice of cuisine for the evening.

On last week’s solo trip to Disney (it was for business purposes, I swear!), I found myself in the previously unimaginable position of dining by myself. As in, “I can choose to eat wherever I want to? No questions asked?”  Wow. And I can tell you, it was even harder to decide, given the myriad of selections available at Disney. 


My first stop on the way in from the airport was Disney Springs. It was late lunch time, and I opted to head to The Polite Pig, a casual quick-serve spot in the Town Center area of the Springs (near the Lime garage). As a big fan of barbecue, I’d wanted to try this locale on previous Disney trips, but always got outvoted before we ran out of time and had to return home. This time, the food selection was mine alone.

In this era of COVID-19 social distancing, The Polite Pig had staffers stationed at the door and at the top of the ordering lanes to keep guests adequately spaced and to help the process move along more efficiently. (Polite Pig employees also handle the drink station and sauce bar for patrons.) Diners place their order at the front of the restaurant, and take a tracker back to a table to wait for your meal’s delivery.

It was a sunny, breezy Florida afternoon, and I opted to sit outside, though there were other diners eating inside the restaurant that afternoon. I collected my fountain drink from the staffer at the beverage station on my way to the table, and my food arrived almost immediately. My waiter was very attentive during the meal, reappearing a number of times, thus ensuring that I did not have to get up to gather any needed items. He also happily offered to bring additional sauces from the restaurant’s sauce bar, should I have needed them.

I’d had a tough time deciding on my meal, and knowing that I was heading from Disney Springs to my hotel after eating, I opted to try both an appetizer and an entrée, banking on the fact that I could take part of it back to my hotel for later in-room dining. The portions were more than ample to do so. 


For starters, I was torn between the Hop Salt pretzel ($9.00), and the Burnt Ends BBQ Meatballs ($12.00). In the end, I selected the meatballs, made with the house brisket. They came on a bed of cheddar grits and topped with a sweet BBQ sauce. As a northeasterner by birth, I’ve never understood the appeal of grits, but these grits were a nice touch, offsetting the sweetness of the barbecue sauce and giving a bit of balance to the dish. The cheddar incorporated into the grits also gave them a tad more flavor than any of the blander grits I’d previously had elsewhere.

The meatballs themselves were a heavier, denser meatball, served in a set of three. They were on the sweeter side with the accompanying sauce, but also had varying textures with crunchy onion straws sprinkled lightly over the top.


For my entrée, I chose the “Southern Pig,” a pulled pork sandwich topped with fennel-apple slaw in a mustard BBQ sauce (also $12.00).  The pulled pork was excellent. It was not overly sauced, allowing the true flavor of the meat to shine through. The meat itself was tender, and had a smoky flavor that hit a bit later in the bite. Without the mustard sauce, the meat might even have been considered a little dry, but the sauce brought in the right amount of moistness. The fennel-apple slaw on the top of the pork, though, really pulled the sandwich together. It was tangy, a bit vinegary, and not overly sweet. It offered another layer of flavor to the sandwich. The sandwich was quite messy, and I definitely needed the roll of paper towels that was conveniently centered on the table.

The Polite Pig offers a variety of “Market Sides” as a separate charge (though if you order one of the larger dishes “From the Smoker” you choose one to include with your meal). More traditional sides like Southern Potato Salad, Waffle Fries, Sweet Potato Tots, Mac and Cheese, or Baked Beans are options, but there are more unique offerings too, such as the Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Roasted Beets, Grilled Street Corn, BBQ Cauliflower, or Crispy Brussel Sprouts. All the sides are $6.00.  

Since I’ve never met a mac and cheese I didn’t like, I chose the Mac and Cheese as a side, and was oh, so glad that I did! It was undoubtedly one of the best mac and cheeses I’ve ever had. Maybe the best on Disney property? (I’ll have to go do some more research!) Made with aged cheddar and topped with a thin layer of crispy breadcrumbs, it was creamy and smooth. There was the tiniest bit of heat at the finish, and a slightly smoky follow through. (I even contemplated stopping in on my way back to the airport a few days later just to get another bowl of the mac and cheese, but alas, they weren’t open yet at that hour.)


While I had chosen a sandwich for my entrée, The Polite Pig offers even heartier fare as well. Maple glazed cedar planked salmon, a citrus marinated half chicken, brisket, pork shoulder, baby back ribs, BBQ cheddar sausages, and smoked turkey breast are also on the menu, at a range from $15.00-$23.00. Other sandwich options include a smoked turkey BLT ($13.00), smoked chicken salad ($11.00), brisket with pimento cheese ($14.00), and a fried chicken with BBQ sauce ($12.00).

The Polite Pig, opened in 2017, is the younger sister to The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, Florida, and part of the Swine Family Restaurant Group. Owned by James and Julie Petrakis, who have been recognized as semi-finalists by the James Beard Foundation for "Best Chef-South," and James’ brother Brian, they have focused on combining local Florida flavors with wood-fired, smoked modern barbecue. The restaurant has a sleeker feel to its interior than your typical BBQ joint, but the décor does have artistically “swine” undertones scattered about. You can also watch the magic happening in the glass fronted cooking area. 

As part of The Polite Pig’s wide range of beverage offerings (including Florida craft beers and a bourbon bar), you can have a signature glass of wine in Polite Pig White or Polite Pig Red, or an icy cold brew with your ‘cue, and enjoy a namesake Ravenous Pig Lone Palm Golden Ale, Ravenous Pig Five Points IPA, Ravenous Pig Red Drum Amber Ale, or Ravenous Pig Working Man Porter. 

The Polite Pig has definitely made it on to my must-do list of restaurants for Disney. Now I’ll have to find the time to get my family there too.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

Sunday, August 30, 2020

14 Things You Might Not Have Known about Disney’s Touchstone

by Chris Lucas
Guest Column
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 30, 2020

(Editor’s Note: Touchstone Films, and then Touchstone Pictures, owned by Disney, began operations in 1984 and closed up shop in 2016.)

Here are some things you might not know about Disney’s former production company, Touchstone.

Courtesy of Top Disney

1. In the above picture are, in order, the first twenty Touchstone films (March 1984 - March 1988).

2. Touchstone Films - later Touchstone Pictures - was created and introduced in the early 1980s by Disney's CEO (and Walt's son-in-law) Ron Miller, as a way of fulfilling Walt's goal of being able to produce movies with more mature themes. It was a sentiment Walt expressed after the two of them watched To Kill A Mockingbird together.

3. The name “Touchstone” was chosen due to its meaning of putting something to a test, such as when supposedly precious metals are rubbed against a stone to see if they leave behind traces of value and people would be willing to buy them. Disney was doing the same with these new, more mature films from their company. The logo reflects that. 

4. 1984’s Splash was the first Touchstone film out of the gate, and it was a tremendous hit. Directed by Ron Howard and featuring the up and coming star Tom Hanks and newcomer Daryl Hannah, along with a great comedic supporting cast, it delivered new energy into Disney's live action film division. 

5. After Miller’s departure in September, 1984, Disney’s new CEO, Michael Eisner, borrowed a strategy from his years at Paramount, where they’d sign talent to first look deals and give some of them office space on the Disney lot. The group included people like Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfus, Nick Nolte, Garry Marshall, Tom Selleck, Jerry Bruckheimer, Shelley Long, Robin Williams, Leonard Nimoy, Jim Varney, Steve Martin, Barry Levinson, Martin Short and Whoopi Goldberg. 

6. Eisner also tapped into investor money and saved millions for Disney by working with a separate company, Silver Screen Partners, to help fund the Touchstone films and some others by the main company. Former President George W. Bush was on the board of directors for Silver Screen from 1983-1993. They had 20,000 investors or so putting their money into making Hollywood movies. In 1994, Eisner created a new funding company, Touchwood Pacific, with partners from Japan. 

7. 1986’s Down and Out In Beverly Hills, starring Midler, Dreyfuss and Nolte, was the first Disney produced film to earn an R rating. It was a remake of a French hit, and was followed by a Touchstone TV version. 

8. Paul Newman won the Oscar for Best Actor for his reprisal of the role of Fast Eddie Felson in 1986's The Color of Money, the first sequel ever produced by Touchstone (though the earlier film, The Hustler, was produced by 20th Century Fox in 1961.) It was a rare live action Oscar win for a Disney production after a long drought. 

9. Ernest P. Worrel, the lead in 1987's Ernest Goes to Camp, was the first successful franchise character for Touchstone. Jim Varney created Ernest years before for a series of local commercials.

10. The first Touchstone sequel to one of its own films was 1988's Ernest Saves Christmas.

11. 1987's Three Men and A Baby from Touchstone, and directed by Leonard Nimoy, was the first $100 million box office grosser in Disney's history.

12. Three Men and a Baby was #1 at the box office for the year, another thing that hadn't happened for Disney for a while. After that, Disney began its rise to the top three of the major studio box office rankings year in and year out, and they haven't fallen off. This was their most successful live-action film for a time, and it's still one of their most successful comedies. It also spawned a sequel.

13. Touchstone’s TV division produced hit shows like The Golden GirlsBlossomBoy Meets WorldHome Improvement and 8 Simple Rules

14. Until its dissolution as a brand in 2016, Touchstone was a powerful player in Hollywood, with monster hits like BeachesGood Morning VietnamWho Framed Roger RabbitPretty WomanDick TracyDead Poet's SocietySister ActFather of The BrideThe Nightmare Before ChristmasEd WoodArmageddonThe WaterboySigns, and Sweet Home Alabama, among others.

What's your favorite Touchstone film?

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On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s recent discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Will You Wait Three Months to See “Mulan” to Save $30?

by Ray Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 29, 2020

So, can you wait three months to see Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan in order save $29.99?

Disney, of course, made a big splash by announcing early this month that Mulan would be skipping theaters due to COVID-19, and instead, be available to Disney+ subscribers on September 4. But Disney+ subscribers, while already paying their usual monthly subscription price, could only access Mulan for an additional $29.99. 


Disney even came up with a cool name for paying extra, i.e., “Premiere Access.” This strategy generated quite the buzz around the movie industry, as well as generating more than a few complaints among customers.

But according to assorted reports today (such as here and here), Mulan will be available on Disney+ on December 4 absent the additional $29.99.

Well, this would seem to add another layer of question marks and uncertainty about this strategy. After all, how many mega-Mulan fans are out there on Disney+ who simply cannot possibly wait until December 4 to see this film? I guess we’re going to find out.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Kevin Mayer, Former Head of Disney Streaming, Quits as TikTok CEO

by Ray Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 27, 2020

Early this morning, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kevin Mayer resigned as CEO of TikTok. The social media platform is an app for easily making and sharing short videos.


Mayer, the former head of Disney’s streaming business, resigned his job at Disney in May of this year, after he had been passed over for the House of Mouse CEO job, to take the TikTok leadership position.

The Journal reported, “In a letter to staff, Mr. Mayer said the political environment had ‘sharply changed’ in recent weeks and the role of CEO would look very different after an expected sale of TikTok’s U.S. business.”

So, Mayer only lasted for three months in the TikTok job.

DisneyBizJournal.com ran an analysis piece early this month – “From King of Disney Streaming to TikTok Troubles: The Strange Journey of Kevin Mayer” – on Mayer’s wild eight-month-plus ride from heading up Disney streaming to becoming the TikTok CEO to the dramatic political shift against TikTok in the U.S. given the company’s Chinese ties.

The Journal noted, “Vanessa Pappas, currently the U.S. general manager of the app, would serve as interim head for TikTok in his absence…”

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Disney’s Biggest Female Movie Star? Julie Andrews

by Chris Lucas
Guest Column
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 26, 2020

(Editor’s Note: Julie Andrews made her theatrical debut in Mary Poppins, which premiered on August 27, 1964.)

Dame Julie Andrews is, arguably, the biggest female movie star who ever worked for Disney.

In 1956, Andrews starred as Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway show My Fair Lady for two years and never missed a performance. During that time, she also starred as Cinderella in a TV musical that was watched by over 100 million Americans.


She was cast as Queen Guinevere in Camelot on Broadway in 1960, opposite Richard Burton. Walt and Lillian Disney attended a performance and Walt knew immediately that he’d found his Mary Poppins.

Walt offered Andrews the role, but she declined because she was pregnant. He said, “I’ll wait,” and he did. 

In 1963, she began playing Mary, her film debut. Andrews won the Oscar for the role, one of the few people in history to win an Academy Award for acting their first time out.

Mary Poppins was one of the biggest box office hits of all-time, but Andrews topped it a year later as Maria in The Sound of Music for FOX. It remains the third highest grossing movie in American history, adjusted for inflation.

After that, Dame Julie declined a string of similar musical roles, like a reprise of the Queen in the film version of Camelot, Nancy in Oliver!, Truly in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dolly in Hello Dolly and Elegantine in Bedknobs & Broomsticks

In 1997, after appearing in the Broadway version of her hit film Victor/Victoria, Andrews had throat surgery which went wrong, permanently damaging her natural five octave coloratura soprano voice. She was told she would never sing again, but in 2004 she performed the song “Crowning Glory” in a reprise of her role as Queen Clarissa in Disney’s Princess Diaries 2

The 84-year-old actress is still quite busy. 

In the last two decades, Julie Andrews has played a different type of Nanny in Disney’s live action adaptations of the Eloise at the Plaza stories; she was the narrator of Disney’s Enchanted; and voiced roles in the ShrekDespicable Me and DC superheroes franchises for other studios.

The author of over 25 books and a lifetime achievement Grammy Award winner, Julie Andrews was named a Disney Legend in 1991, and was named a Dame by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, on New Year’s Eve, 1999.

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On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s recent discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

No Surprise That Disney Extending Furloughs – Consumers Hurting – A Look Inside the Magic Kingdom

by Ray Keating
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 25, 2020

News has been spreading that Disney is extending the furloughs of various employees. Unfortunately, that’s not surprising based on what DisneyBizJournal’s Beth Keating saw at the Magic Kingdom yesterday (August 24).

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

As Fox Business, for example, noted this morning, “Select employees of Disney World and Disneyland reportedly received an email explaining that their furlough has been extended amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic… Disney actress Sheila Ward claims that she and other staffers received an email on Monday detailing that their furlough was ‘indefinite,’ with no date disclosed regarding when cast members may be called back to work.”

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

(Keep in mind that furloughed workers effectively remain employees and still receive certain benefits (such as Disney still paying health insurance), while laid off workers no longer are employees of a company.)

None of this is surprising based on the DisneyBizJournal Magic Kingdom visit. Beth Keating reported fewer-than-expected kiosks open, some shops and restaurants closed, and limited seating at other sit-down restaurants.

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

Many rides had waits of 10 minutes or less, even attractions with notoriously long lines, like Peter Pan’s Flight and Space Mountain, were only 15-20 minutes. Others were walk on.

Liberty Square and Frontierland had “ghost town” feels. And the park “empties out by late afternoon.”

Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

 Magic Kingdom on August 24, 2020

This pandemic has crippled big parts of our economy, with travel and tourism being among the very hardest hit. It should be noted that the Conference Board reported today that its measure of consumer confidence took another big hit in August, after declining in July as well. Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board, warned, “Consumer spending has rebounded in recent months but increasing concerns amongst consumers about the economic outlook and their financial well-being will likely cause spending to cool in the months ahead.” For some additional perspective, consider that the latest report from the U.S. Department of Labor on initial jobless claims pointed out that the total number of individuals receiving unemployment benefits in all programs registered 28,059,349 for the week ending August 1. A year earlier, that number was 1,702,382.

Climbing out of this deep hole will take time, with vaccines and therapeutics central to that process. And companies like Disney won’t get back to normal until that happens, along with some other necessities along the way.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Disneynomics: Both Universal and Disney Are Suffering

by Ray Keating
Disneynomics Column
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 23, 2020

The headlines and even the content of a few news reports seem to indicate that Universal Orlando is experiencing a bounce back in attendance, while the Disney parks continue to suffer. In reality, both Universal and Disney continue to be hit hard in this pandemic economy.


Reporting based on an analyst note from Deutsche Bank published on August 20 seems to strike a rather cheery note on Universal attendance, and a grimmer tone on Disney’s. Yet, each company’s park attendance is down dramatically from last year. It’s really a matter of which is suffering a bit more.

Based on Deutsche’s proprietary geolocation data, Universal Orlando’s attendance is down by 68 percent compared to last year, while the analysts’ estimates on attendance for Walt Disney World and Disney’s international parks point to the number of Disney guests being down by 80 percent. So, -68 percent vs. -80 percent? It's not happening for anyone here.

The continued ills being faced by Universal was summed up last week by Blooloop.com: “Comcast announced that its Universal Studios theme park division saw a 94% decrease in second-quarter revenue due to COVID-19 closures. Revenue dropped from $1.5 billion in 2019 to $87 million this year. Two rounds of layoffs have also forced Universal Orlando to close several attractions. These are Fast & Furious: Supercharged, Fear Factor Live, Poseidon’s Fury, Storm Force Accelatron and Kang & Kudos Twirl ‘n’ Hurl.”

Among a few other specifics widely noted, Deutsche pointed out that attendance numbers at Animal Kingdom and Epcot are running head of crowds at the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Also, Universal Orlando’s recent improvement in attendance – again, still down markedly from last year – is being seen most notably on Saturdays.

In the end, though, there’s really no good news here, other than a hopeful quote from the Deutsche report pointing ahead: “Given this ongoing improvement in Universal’s attendance and declining new daily COVID cases in Florida, we believe that Disney World will also soon see some benefit.” And at another point, it was stated: “While Disney World appears to be lagging the COVID case reduction, we would expect the data to relieve some of the admissions pressure in the near future.”

Of course, that’s the key for Disney, Universal and all other theme park operators – along with businesses in all other industries – that is, declining coronavirus cases, and most important, vaccines and therapeutics coming to market addressing the pandemic.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Branagh Back with “Death on the Nile”

by Ray Keating
News/Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 21, 2020

Director and actor Kenneth Branagh is back with a second movie from Disney’s 20th Century Studios based on an Agatha Christie mystery. Death on the Nile is due out on October 23, and Disney dropped the first trailer for the movie this week.


The trailer offers a glimpse of a film that looks to be lavish, star-studded, and jammed with jealousy and intrigue swirling around, of course, murder.

The Branagh-directed Murder on the Orient Express, which came out in 2017, was a richly filmed mystery.  Indeed, if you love a good murder mystery, then Murder on the Orient Express ranks as must-watching. And yes, Branagh not only excels behind the camera, but he ranks as the best Hercule Poirot on screen.

It’s also no mystery as to why moviegoers are being treated to a sequel. Orient’s financial performance made it easy to greenlight another Branagh-Christie-Poirot movie. Murder on the Orient Express earned $352.8 million on a production budget of $55 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Even if you double the production budget for marketing expenses, that’s quite a tidy return.

And now murderous fun looks to be returning in Death on the Nile. Joining Branagh on this river cruise are an assortment of stars, including Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Sophie Okonedo, Tom Bateman, Emma Mackey, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, and Jennifer Saunders.

Pass the popcorn.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Disneynomics: Universal Orlando Ticket Offer – Come for a Day, Stay Through Christmas Eve

by Ray Keating
Disneynomics Column
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 20, 2020

How do you get people to come to your theme parks during a pandemic? 

That’s obviously a difficult question that companies like Disney and Comcast (owner of the Universal parks) wrestle with on a daily basis.


Before the pandemic, theme park pricing actually was focused on “date-based tickets.” We economists call this peak-load pricing or congestion pricing. That is, adjust pricing according to dates and times of the day in order to control crowds, enhance the guest experience, and maximize profits. This pricing model is used by hotels, movie theaters, utility companies, toll roads, and so on. It’s straightforward economics in that consumers react to price changes, so businesses can better manage resources by adjusting prices to reallocate consumption from periods of high demand to times of low demand.

In fact, even in the current period of COVID-19 and a brutal economy, date-based pricing made an appearance in the news in recent days with Universal Orlando announcing that it was following Disney’s lead in implementing this model. Disney went in on date-based pricing starting in 2018. Universal now will vary ticket prices based on when people visit their parks.

Fair enough. Makes sense. 

But far more interesting was a pricing option Universal Orlando served up to Florida residents earlier this month. Actually, I’m not sure if you can really call this a pricing option; it’s more like a giveaway.

What’s the deal? Florida residents can purchase a 2-Park, 1-Day Park-to-Park Ticket, and come back every day through December 24 with no blockout dates. That’s right, for $164, a Universal guest gets to visit both parks – Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure – each and every day, if they choose to do so, through Christmas Eve. That one-time, $164 payment covers it all. And you can toss in Volcano Bay for another $29. Florida residents have this option through September 30. If you love Universal, this is an awesome deal. Heck, if you just like Universal, it’s a great deal.

The question in coming days and weeks is: Will this incredible offer for Florida residents by Universal affect Disney’s pricing decisions? Well, don’t be surprised if Disney follows suit in some way. But in the end that will depend, of course, on multiple factors, especially the direction of the pandemic, the economy, and therefore, park attendance. 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Verizon to Offer the Disney Streaming Bundle for Free

by Ray Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
August 19, 2020

Early this week, Verizon announced an extended agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Starting on August 20, the Disney streaming bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ will be included in certain Verizon wireless plans.


Specifically, Verizon’s “Get More Unlimited” and “Play Unlimited” plans will include the Disney Bundle. The “Do More Unlimited” and “Start Unlimited” plans include Disney+.

Frank Boulben, a Verizon senior vice president of marketing and products, was quoted in a company release, “We led the industry by giving customers Disney+ on us. Now we're adding The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, for more entertainment choices that appeal to a variety of interests. We can’t wait to see what customers choose to suit their needs.”

Sean Breen, executive vice president for Disney’s platform distribution, said, “We are always looking for the most advantageous ways for consumers to experience our content and we are pleased to work with Verizon so that they can provide their customers with these appealing new offers.”

Verizon noted, “Existing customers currently receiving 12-months access to Disney+ on us can move to our new Play More and Get More Unlimited plans with The Disney Bundle included, or for $6 per month they can stay in their current plan and add both ESPN+ and Hulu to complete The Disney Bundle.”

This Verizon announcement lines up with Disney’s major push into online video in the U.S. and internationally.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.