Disney wants to make its streaming services more like competitor Netflix with new features and improvements. In this way, Disney hopes to retain subscribers longer and prevent users from canceling their subscriptions.
Disney is developing a number of new features for its streaming services Disney+, Hulu and ESPN that should ensure that subscribers watch series and films more often and for longer. That meldt The Wall Street Journal based on sources familiar with the plans. The idea is that if users stream more often and for longer, they will be less likely to cancel their subscriptions.
Better personal recommendations
One of the forms of the ‘Netflixization of Disney’ is that the entertainment company is working on a more personalized algorithm for the recommendations of films and series. Netflix is very strong in such viewing suggestions that are completely tailored to the preferences of users.
In addition, Disney wants to follow Netflix’s example by also adjusting thumbnails for series and films based on the taste and usage history of the subscriber. Netflix has been using many different images for years to promote the content on its platform, which makes users click on series and films that suit them more often.
Disney also plans to send emails to subscribers who stopped watching a series halfway through, reminding them that they can finish watching it. According to The Wall Street Journal, the innovations are seen as a response to Netflix’s success in retaining users and focusing on getting them to come back more often.
Live channels around popular titles
Another new component that Disney is working on is not copied from Netflix: new streaming channels where you can watch all series and films from popular franchises. With such a ‘live channel’ you do not have to choose a specific episode of, for example, Star Wars, Marvel or Pixar. Just like with TV channels, you will see commercials in between, with which Disney hopes to bring in more revenue.
Disney+ currently has 153.6 million paying subscribers worldwide. Disney’s streaming arm recently achieved profitability for the first time. The company expects a slight decline in subscribers in the coming months, as it often does in the summer, before picking them up again in the last quarter of the year.
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Source: www.bright.nl
