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Disney is on a culling spree; the media firm, starting May 26, is set to do away with over two dozen content titles from its streamers Disney+ and Hulu to cut expenses. As per GVS, the California-headquartered company will pull the plug off as many as 27 titles as a part of “strategic changes in our approach to content curation,” as said by Disney CFO, Christine McCarthy.
The list of to-be-killed titles includes Willow, Dollface, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and the 2020 adventure/drama The One and Only Ivan.
As soon as the update was shared by Discussing Film, social media was abuzz with angry tweets. Netizens took to Twitter to lash out at Disney, with one remarking how the firm doesn’t “want to pay royalties” even though the shows are already made.
Apart from the ones mentioned, America the Beautiful, Among the Stars, Be Our Chef, Best in Dough, Best in Snow, Better Nate Than Ever, and The Big Fib, are also facing the axe.
Big Shot, Black Beauty, Cheaper by the Dozen (2022), Clouds, Darby and the Dead, Diary of a Future President, Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, Earth to Ned, and Encore!, among others, are a part of the list as well.
“How does this cut costs exactly,” fans ask after Disney poised to remove numerous titles
During an earnings call recently, McCarthy told investors:
“We are in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation…As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms.”
She hoped that this move might give them “an impairment charge (or, write-off) of approximately $1.5-1.8 billion” in the June quarter.
Disney CEO Robert “Bob” Iger, on his part, emphasized that they are “on the right path for streamer’s long-term profitability,” while adding that this will allow them to rationalize “the volume of the content we make and what we’re spending.” He added:
“As we grow the business in terms of the global footprint…we realized that we made a lot of content that is not necessarily driving sub-growth. And we’re getting much more surgical about what it is we make.”
However, social media users were unforgiving; most of them wondered how this step will cut costs, while many feared that Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) might be removed soon.
Before Disney, HBO Max pulled off a similar kill coup and moved 10 of its original series to FAST (free, ad-supported streaming TV) services like Tubi and Roku last December.
Recently, the WarnerMedia subsidiary took out numerous Cartoon Network shows off its roster, like Clarence, Ben 10, and Dexter's Laboratory, among others.
Willow and Dollface are yet to find a new home.
