Disney
The Walt Disney Company has been furiously acquiring various entertainment studios and businesses in recent decades, and has just expanded its media empire with the acquisition of Fox. In addition to FOX, Disney also owns Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar, along with a variety of other smaller brands. Disney’s portfolio also includes, ESPN, Touchstone Pictures, ABC, A&E, The History Channel, Lifetime, Hollywood Records, and Vice Media. This is on top of the already extremely lucrative Disney businesses, which include Disney films, the television brand as well as the stores, theme parks, and merchandise.
The graphic showing Disney’s media dominance was provided by CartoonBrew.com.
In the aftermath of the Disney-Fox merger, Disney’s biggest competitors are Comcast-NBC, Universal (which owns Universal Studios, Illumination, and DreamWorks Animation), National Amusements (owner of Paramount Pictures and Viacom Media Networks, which is the parent of Nickelodeon and MTV), and Warnermedia (which houses Warner Bros. Studios, HBO, the CW, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network, among other companies).
Disney seals $71bn deal for 21st Century Fox as it prepares to take on Netflix
CEO, Bob Iger, bought 21st Century Fox in order to regain previously sold Marvel characters/movies and to absorb Fox film and TV studios, the FX networks, National Geographic and the Indian TV giant Star India in a huge boost to its content for Disney+.
Impact of Disney ownership on film production
1. Big six ownership provides significant funding for high production value films - Avenger Infinity War (MCU), also distributed by Disney - $320-400m
2. Ability to attract star marketing - e.g. Jungle Book A list voices
3. More time spent on production
4. Access to latest production technology e.g. CGI creating high production values
5. More synergy e.g. theme parks and plus platform convergence
6. High chance of commercial success
Distribution
Disney is vertically integrated, handling theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by Walt Disney. There is also a new law coming in the next few years allowing studios like Disney to own their own cinemas, to allow for further vertical integration. The company has diversified into theme parks, creating Disneyland, and television, and Disney had been aware of the value of merchandising from the very beginning.
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