Image Source: Mubi
“Steamboat Willie” 1928
I remember back in 2018 when some of Disney’s biggest hits slowly started disappearing from Netflix. I saw it as the beginning of a new era in streaming, where creators would showcase their intellectual property exclusively on their own platforms.
Now, 5 years later, it seems as though we are entering another “new wave” of streaming. Disney CEO Bob Iger just announced at Disney’s annual meeting that Disney will occasionally license some of its titles to third parties. This is a far cry from the usual antics of Disney, which is typically associated with keeping its intellectual property locked in what it refers to as “The Vault”.
Back when the streaming wars were just heating up (November 2019), many media conglomerates clawed for whatever intellectual property and tentpole franchises they could get their hands on in order to attract new subscribers.
[Disney+] reached 100 million subscribers just 16 months after its November 2019 launch. We’re proud of our track record, though we recognize we have challenges ahead of us, namely to get to profitability. We’re not looking to license our core Marvel, Disney, Pixar or Star Wars product to third parties. We will consider licensing other product to third parties
Bob Iger; March 2023
Now that user numbers have begun to stagnate across platforms, it appears that companies such as Disney are finding value in licensing some of its intellectual property to other brands to bolster profits.
While Iger’s proposed licensing strategy seems like a no-brainer, Disney is about to experience a new obstacle: intellectual property entering the public domain.
Late night talk show host John Oliver has challenged Disney by using “Steamboat Willie” (which just entered public domain after 95 years) in his show’s theme song to see if Disney will sue him.
Disney’s latest choice in licensing its content could be a part of a larger strategic move to monetize its oldest assets. How Disney responds to Oliver will be a clear indicator of its upcoming licensing strategy.
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ROGER IRWIN 