Disney's biggest competitor isn't Netflix, it's Fortnite.

In 2013, Netflix's Ted Sarandos aptly summed up the strategic challenge facing the fast streaming service: "The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us," he said. He told GQ magazine, referring to the powerful premium cable operator that broadcasts to people like Game of Thrones.

In other words, while Netflix's streaming technology is new and exciting (or at least five years ago), technology alone won't keep Netflix going, content is important too. That is why Netflix has turned show and movie theater in 2019. This year, you should spend $ 15 billion to watch movies and TV shows.

In just a few short years, Netflix has gone from the new challenge to the 800-pound gorilla in the entertainment industry. Even Amazon, a company that eats entire areas for breakfast, must play a supporting role for Netflix in streaming.

And for this reason, some people, like John Meyer, an industry analyst and founding partner at Transpire Ventures, believe that even Disney, one of the biggest names in entertainment, couldn't beat it.

"I firmly believe that Disney will not become a threat to Netflix," Meyer said in an email to LaComparacion. "After all, they are a technology company at heart and they have tremendous power with the data they capture from their millions of subscribers, helping them design the original content to create."

But here's the thing: Disney doesn't need to beat Netflix. Netflix may not even be Disney's biggest strategic challenge. Instead, Disney CEO Bob Iger should probably spend more time on his concerns. Fortnite.

Choose your battles

At first, it may sound confusing. Why would Disney +, a new Netflix-like streaming service, compete with an online game?

The answer was probably best provided by Netflix in a letter to shareholders earlier this year: "We are not focusing on Disney +, Amazon or others, but on how we can improve the experience." of our members ".

Also, "We compete with Fornite (and lose against) more than with HBO."

It's quite an eye-opening statement.

The main thing is to recognize that streaming services don't care about each other. Instead, they look at the big picture, not just their generation, but the next generation.

And Netflix knows that it will be much more difficult to win.

Disney will have to fight Fortnite.

At this point, you may think that the rights holders and creators of franchises like Star Wars and Frozen must force their children to stay between their fingers indefinitely, which gives them an advantage, right?

False.

If you read this article, you likely grew up in a very different media environment than today's kids. If we are so excited about Disney +, it is because we care, as well as our interests and our sense of nostalgia.

But if you are eleven years old today, your world is not (exclusively) that of the Marvel and Disney princesses. Loud, aggressive YouTubers and, presumably, a bevy of other entertainment brands from the world of gaming, fashion, music and film dominate the mindset. Instagram influencers. Snapchat stars - not to mention the content produced by your friends.

So there could be a generation of kids growing up today who don't have the Pavlovian reaction that we get when we listen to John Williams. Star Wars theme, because this mood was quite stolen by the parvenus at Epic Games.

It is inevitable that Fortnite the game will be eliminated at some point from its position as best dog and replaced by a new game next year (cough, Apex Legends), but the real threat to Disney in the long run is that there is currently a generation of kids who will have a similar reaction upon restarting Epic Games. Fortnite In 20 years, we have the trailer for Star Wars Episode IX.

We can already see the generational schism starting to happen. when solo Market research company Kids Insight Kids has discovered only 2% of children Mentioning the film in the month before its release, with less performance than Deadpool 2 (not really a kid's movie) and Peter Rabbit (yes, James Corden's). For them, Star Wars it's less of a cultural touchstone than a logo on one of dad's old t-shirts.

Similarly, when The Muppets played at the O2 in London last year, they were unable to sell the arena, because the characters lack the cultural prestige they had once commanded an older generation. We may like these characters, but that doesn't mean the next generation will like them.

Children are the key

That Disney + manages to beat Netflix in terms of the number of subscribers is not important. Even if you finish second or third, there will always be a place for your smart TV or your iPad for Disney +. Why? Because disney has Your childhood and, if all goes well with Disney +, it will be the same for your child's childhood.

For better or for worse, Disney is not a company that makes a technology platform, not even one that produces movies. Society as a whole is more focused on intellectual property: this is the reason why amusement parks are as important to society as feature films. Under its current CEO Bob Iger, Disney has made much of all the characters you've loved since you were a kid: It bought the Muppets in 2004, Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009, LucasFilm in 2012, and 20th Century Fox this year.

Think in the spirit of Disney, whether it's Kermit, Buzz Lightyear, Captain America, Han Solo, or Homer Simpson, you have to turn your money over to your only guardian.

Disney is still thinking about this future generation: this year alone, Disney is developing. Avengers: Endgame., Star Wars Episode IX and a remake of The Lion Kingwhich will attract a younger audience and gain a lot of ingenuity, but the total cultural mastery of Fortnite There is an example among young people that shows that while Disney may seem unbeatable today, it should not be inferred that the characters and stories we love will continue to work forever.

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