by Ray Keating
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
March 3, 2022
The Walt Disney Company announced earlier this week (on March 1) that the Marvel shows that just left Netflix would be landing on Disney+ on March 16, along with updated parental controls. This decision offers information on where Disney+ is headed under Disney CEO Bob Chapek.
For almost any Marvel fan, it was good news to hear that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher, as well as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which originally aired on ABC, would be on Disney+.
I just finished watching Daredevil, for example, and it clearly ranks as the best Marvel streaming/television series made to date, given the depth of the characters, the power and tightness of the storytelling, the intelligence of the dialogue (including well-placed humor), and the gritty feel and action. Indeed, Daredevil ranks among the very best that streaming/television has had to offer … ever. And now, more people will be watching it, and hopefully, all of this increases the chances for a return of the series.
At the same time, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher are not children friendly – indeed, far from it. Hence, we have Disney updating its parental controls. As Disney explained, “When opening Disney+ for the first time on or after March 16, all subscribers in the U.S. will be prompted to update their Parental Controls. This includes the option to select content ratings restrictions for each profile as well as to add a PIN to lock profiles. Those that choose to keep their settings the same will continue to enjoy Disney+ as they always have within a TV-14 content rating environment, with the option to make changes at any time under Profile settings.” Makes sense.
Nonetheless, this decision to bring Daredevil and Company to Disney+ rather than Hulu, where many people thought these and similar shows would wind up, speaks to two issues.
First, even with the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ bundle, there is a big advantage for Disney to have all of its Marvel content in one place. As Michael Paull, president of Disney Streaming, said, “Disney+ has served as the home for some of the most beloved brands in the industry, and the addition of these live-action shows brings more from the Marvel brand together, all in one place.”
Second, going hand-in-hand with this is the likelihood that the company has made a noteworthy shift in course for Disney+. In November of last year, reports circulated that Disney executives were wrestling with (arguing over?) the idea of bringing more mature content to Disney+. The stories went that CEO Bob Chapek favored adding more mature content, while Bob Iger, the former CEO and chairman of the board, wanted to keep Disney+ family-friendly.
Well, as of the end of 2021, Iger was gone as board chairman. Chapek is the CEO, so to the degree that this disagreement had existed, it’s gone, and Disney+ has just added – between Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher – 13 seasons of more mature Marvel content. Oh, yes, and while it remains an unknown, the glimpses that we are getting of Moon Knight, arriving of Disney+ on March 30, also points to more mature content.
Hey, it’s Bob Chapek’s Disney now, and while many of his decisions have been restricted or impacted by the pandemic, the future of Disney+ is not one of those, and we’re getting a clearer picture of a Disney+ with far more varied content than many had previously presumed.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
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