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 "Try to keep up," said Captain Marvel in one ad after a series
of fast-paced clips from "Star Wars," "The Simpsons," "The
Avengers" and other Disney-owned hits from outside of its deep
catalogue of children's classics.
Disney's marketing force is reaching beyond its traditional
family audience to send a message that its $7-a-month
subscription service Disney+ offers something for all ages. The
service debuted on Tuesday in the United States, Canada and The
Netherlands.
"It's incumbent upon us to market it the right way to emphasize
the fact that it's not just for kids," Disney executive Kevin
Mayer said during a briefing at the company's Burbank,
California, headquarters. "It's all family friendly, but
everyone can enjoy this product."
Disney has told investors it can hook 60 million to 90 million
customers within about five years as it competes for customers
in a crowded streaming market dominated by Netflix Inc <NFLX.O>.
Signing up adults who do not have children at home is part of
that plan.
Consumers may not realize that after a series of acquisitions
Disney is much more than classics like "Cinderella" and "Mary
Poppins" that charmed generations of families. The company now
owns the celebrated "Star Wars" movie franchise; Iron Man, the
Hulk and dozens of other Marvel superheroes; "Toy Story"
animation house Pixar, and nature programming channel National
Geographic.
Previously released movies and TV series from all of those
brands, plus 30 seasons of "The Simpsons," are available on
Disney+ alongside decades of Disney's family-centric offerings.
Disney+ also offers new programming from those brands.
To raise awareness, the company is promoting Disney+ during
sports and primetime TV telecasts to get in front of what
Hollywood calls the four quadrants of viewers: male, female,
young and old.
"We’re unmatched in quality and appeal across our four-quadrant
audience spanning a variety of genres, formats and arenas, and
will continue to build on that year after year," said Ricky
Strauss, president of content and marketing for Disney+.
In addition to the wrestling, football and gaming contests, ads
ran during the World Series and the ABC News late-night program
"Nightline," and on social media networks.
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Early testing in The Netherlands, where Disney offered a free
two-month trial of Disney+, attracted a "very large and diverse
audience," said Mayer, who runs Disney's direct-to-consumer and
international unit.
"Marvel's Agents of SHIELD," a series aimed at 18- to 49-year olds,
ranked as the most-watched piece of content, Mayer said. Next was
tween-oriented show "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" followed by
"Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," a cartoon for young children.
"Our hypothesis was we will have a lot of different types of
viewership, that it's not going to be centered among any one of our
brands," Mayer said. "It's quite a nice confirmation of what we want
accomplished."
The initial response in The Netherlands has cheered industry
analysts.
"They have some surprising and encouraging signs about this
potential that Disney+ is not just kids and family," Forrester
analyst Jim Nail said.
But unlike Netflix, Disney+ limits how far its programming will go
to attract older viewers. To keep it family friendly, the service
will not have any R-rated movies or TV shows designated TV-MA for
mature audiences.
Programming considered too adult for Disney+ may stream on Hulu,
which Disney also owns. That will include FX series such as
"American Horror Story" and "Fargo" and possibly movies starring
Deadpool, a Marvel character known for foul-mouthed humor, when
rights become available.
"There are boundaries to what we'll put on Disney+," Mayer said. "'Deadpool'
is definitely not for Disney+."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Helen Coster in
New York and Neha Malara in Bangalore; Editing by David Gregorio)
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