Disney+ disrupts the economy

Noah Miller

When people hear the words Disney, we all get nostalgic; from thinking about our magic filled childhoods of trying to sing so a bird would come to you to going on adventures to Atlantis in our backyards and being a princess until the clock strikes midnight. Disney has always been a beacon of happiness and warmth but lately they have been getting backlash from their followers. Disney recently decided that in November when Netflix updates, they are removing all of their movies and TV shows from Netflix, so they can add them to Disney Plus. For those who may not know, Disney+ is a streaming app where all Disney films and TV shows will be in one collective place. 

To see how people reacted, I interviewed four people to see how they would respond to this new change. Chelsea Ermer, an art teacher at Fossil Ridge High School, was the first person I interviewed. She had a lot to say because she loves Disney and gives a lot of good insight. I asked Ermer how she felt with Disney taking all of their TV shows and movies off of streaming apps such as Netflix and Hulu. She was frustrated because she already pays for both Netflix and Hulu so adding Disney+ to the mix is just another expense. She told me, “It’s a smart plan business wise but it’s frustrating and annoying consumer wise.” Adding another seller to the market definitely changes the field economically. This just means that Netflix and Hulu would lose money if people switch over to Disney+ because they will not have as many viewers. When asked if she thinks an economic shift would happen with this change, Ermer stated, “Not necessarily, it will probably start a bundle system like how spotify includes hulu with their premium causing some sort of shift in the economic system.”

After getting good insight from Ermer, I spoke with Ainsley Kidder, a senior at Fossil, who is also a big fan of Disney. I asked her a few different questions to see how she would react. I asked Kidder if she would get rid of the other streaming channels if she bought Disney+ and her answer was kind of surprising. Kidder’s response was, “No absolutely not, Netflix and Hulu have a ton of TV shows and movies that Disney doesn’t own so it’s not like Disney is taking everything, there are plenty of shows and movies to watch that isn’t Disney owned.”

Disney Studios

I interviewed a couple other people but they said pretty much the same thing as Ermer and Kidder. After this experience it seems that Disney+ may not do so well with the public. Disney has always been a childhood favorite for most but this may be where Disney makes its first mistake. But do not make your decision based on my research, try it out. It is seven dollars a month or seventy dollars a year. It never hurts to test the waters even if it is only for a few seconds. Write a comment with your opinion on Disney’s decision or if you have any information I missed.