Introduction: On the one hand, Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime compete for the global streaming media market. On the other hand, the domestic streaming media battle has formed a three-legged situation of "Aiyouteng". The content and business operation system are gradually mature, and the layout is beginning overseas. With more and more competitors entering the game, the game may have just begun.
author | Shen Danyang
editor | Shi Can
There is still more than a month before the end of 2019, American Jenny feels that two days are destined to be "special", one is Christmas, and the other is the day when Disney+ goes online . American kids will dance for joy.
Like many ordinary American families, Jenny's family likes to sit together in their spare time, watch dramas and eat snacks. She and her husband have two children, the eldest son is 10 years old and the youngest son is 7 years old. The Jenny family is not a typical Disney fan, they will not go to see new Disney movies for the first time, and they will not go to Disneyland to contribute tickets every year, but they are other works of Disney - "Star Wars" and "Manga" Wei" - a fanatic fan.
When the Disney Group announced that it will launch the streaming media platform Disney+, and put all the group’s classic film and television dramas into Disney+, Jenny’s family seemed to have won the lottery, and the two children asked her every day when the new platform would be available .
However, on November 12, the day when Disney+ was launched, the expected happiness did not come as promised. At 8 o'clock in the morning on the 12th, Jenny's family just woke up and sat cross-legged on the sofa in their pajamas, exploring the newly launched streaming media platform together. Jenny first downloaded the Disney+ software on her mobile phone and tried to connect it to the Google TV at home. An hour later, there was only one message repeatedly displayed on the mobile App, "Due to an unknown system error, the service cannot be connected", and then Jenny was automatically logged out by the system and was prompted to try again later.
At this moment, the same problem is happening to thousands of users around the world trying to register and log in to the Disney+ platform. The Disney Group's customer service numbers were blown up, and the limited network of manual customer service could not cope with the massive amount of information. Users began to spontaneously post inquiries on Twitter, and named Disney officials to ask the platform for help.
The beginning of chaos but full of eye-catching
"The registration and login behavior of 10 million users around the world in a short period of time is the cause of system overload and slow operation. We did not expect consumers' demand for Disney content to be so strong. An official Disney spokesperson said the technical issues will be resolved soon.
(The error rate of Disney+ users remains high. Source: downdetector website)
But the wave has not stopped, and the wave has risen again. Less than a week after Disney+ was launched, the account information of tens of thousands of users was stolen by hackers and sold on the dark web at prices ranging from $3 to $11. Some account information can even be obtained for free on hacker forums.
"We have not found any traces of system intrusion. There is a system inside the platform that will automatically detect suspicious and abnormal login behaviors. Once found, we will guide users to reset their passwords to protect their account security." Disney+ officials denied that their accounts were hacked. Hackers stole the incident, and said that user information leakage incidents have precedents in many companies. Long before the new streaming media platform went online, a large number of Disney user information was sold on the dark web. The reason for
’s information leakage is unknown. According to the analysis of technology news website ZDNet, the users whose information was stolen may have the habit of logging in to different websites with the same account password, and the intention of hackers is to use this behavior of users to obtain more important personal information for profit. . From the perspective of Disney+, the way to maintain user information security is to implement a "multi-step verification" login system.
(Disney+ user information is sold at a low price on the dark web. Source: ZDNet)
As of November 21, the download volume of Disney+ has been steadily increasing, and among the major App problem complaint platforms, the number of Disney+ user feedback has also continued to increase.
"The coordinates are in Washington. After using it for a week, it started to freeze. After uninstalling and reinstalling, I can't log in. I paid all the money..."
"It can be used on Samsung mobile phones, but it can't be used on PS4. It's too difficult for me."
"The online customer service said they would reply right away, and it's been three days now, it's ridiculous."
Even in the midst of the turmoil, the launch of Disney+ still attracted a lot of attention.
has a stock of nearly 7,500 episodes and more than 500 movies from Disney around the world. The videos provided by Disney+ to users cover Pixar animation, Marvel Pictures , Lucasfilm , National Geographic, etc. IP content. " The Simpsons ", "Aladdin", " The Lion King ", and the upcoming " Frozen 2", "Star Wars 9: The Rise of Skywalker" and " Toy Story 4" will all be released from Disney+ into the audience's field of vision.
At this stage, users can create up to 10 viewing lists and use 4 viewing devices at the same time. There is a 7-day free trial period for first-time users, and subsequent subscriptions will cost $6.99/month (or $69.99/year). For users who have cross-platform video viewing needs, Disney+ has also launched a "multi-platform binding package", including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, with a unified binding price of $12.99 per month.
Whether it’s the content layout of Disney+ or Disney’s strategic binding of its short video platform, it all reflects its consistent style of “sweeping all users in one go”.
uses Marvel and Star Wars to consolidate male users, Disney animation is responsible for attracting female fans, and as for the few hard-to-please elite groups, brain-burning original dramas are used to conquer. The membership packages bound to the three platforms of
also have the same purpose. Disney+ is responsible for opening up users from the "all ages" group and taking the family route; ESPN+, a professional sports streaming platform, has seized male users; Content that challenges the minds of adults is handed over to the Hulu platform to control.
Disney+ is currently officially launched in North America, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other places. According to official news, Disney+ will also be launched in the UK and most European countries in 2020, and the Asia-Pacific region is not yet open.
Disney+ vs. Netflix on top of the world?
Will Disney+ endanger the status of global streaming giant Netflix? The issue of
has attracted attention from all walks of life in August. At that time, Disney began to make warm-up promotion for Disney+.
According to Netflix’s official report, the number of paid members worldwide has reached 140 million, which is equivalent to the combined population of Shanghai, Tokyo, Delhi, , Mumbai, and Sao Paulo, and this number is still increasing steadily. By comparison, Amazon Prime has about 100 million paying subscribers worldwide, and music streaming service Spotify has about 40 million paying subscribers worldwide.
Even if it firmly sits on the throne of the world's number one streaming media, Netflix still feels a crisis about the launch of Disney+.
"Disney is definitely an opponent worthy of respect and learning, because they are a group of masters who really understand content creation," Reed Hasting, founder and CEO of Netflix, said publicly, "The way they (Disney) entertain the public is always amazing. Amazing.”
However, the launch of Disney+ has not had any impact on Netflix, no matter in terms of downloads, installations, or user usage time. According to the latest data from
Credit Suisse, although Disney+ maintained a global average of 1.5 million daily downloads in the first week of its launch, Netflix’s global average daily downloads during this period also remained stable at 70,000, the same as the previous downloads. Average daily downloads in the U.S. were even 7% higher than in the previous four weeks.
"The long-term battle situation is unknown, but in the short term, Disney+ has caused 0 damage to Netflix." Wall Street investment analysts said investors can temporarilyRest assured, Netflix stock isn't out of the ordinary either.
But there are still many variables in the global streaming media landscape. From the initial stage of
Disney+, in addition to exposed technical problems and user information security risks, the biggest shortcoming lies in the lack of a large number of new original content. This disadvantage is even more dwarfed by Netflix, because Netflix has a large number of self-made and acquired content.
"I download Disney+, more for those lost childhood memories, and also to share the Disney animation I watched in my childhood with my children." Todd wrote in his blog after using Disney+, " But there are very few new original dramas on the platform, and the only one I’m chasing now is " The Mandalorian ", which is a live-action Star Wars drama."
(Disney+ original drama "The Mandalorian" still photo source: Disney+)
except "The Mandalorian", there is also a "Marvel's Hero Project" (Marvel's Hero Project) on the Disney+ platform. A story of social contribution. As for the more original content that Disney promised is limited to the Disney+ platform, it will not be launched until next year at the earliest.
In terms of satisfying users' exploration of new content, Netflix is more relaxed.
For a long time, Netflix has spent a lot of money to acquire a large number of copyrights for film and television dramas and TV shows around the world, and has focused on self-made original content. This layout gave it an advantage in the early stages of the streaming media battle.
But as the business model of streaming media gradually matures, major companies realize that online platforms will become the main battlefield, and "content is king" is the key. Faced with being "drawn from the bottom" by many copyright partners, Netflix is accelerating its content revolution.
Since 2018, Netflix has tried to shift its focus to original content, increasing production costs by 30%. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandes also said at a recent event that in the current streaming media competition, Netflix will rely more on original programs and even create its own IP to win the content war.
According to the latest data in November, most of the most viewed shows on the Netflix platform are acquired, the most popular "The Office" is authorized by NBC, " Grey's Anatomy " is authorized by ABC, " Friends " And "Six People" are authorized by AT&T Warner, only "Orange is the New Black" and "Dark Money Resort" are self-made dramas of Netflix. These licensed dramas that are currently popular on Netflix will be transferred to their own streaming media platforms that will be launched soon due to the expiration of the copyright and the non-renewal of the contract by the licensor.
Disney has also terminated its content distribution agreement with Netflix. The Star Wars and Marvel series of movies previously authorized to Netflix will gradually withdraw from next year and will only be broadcast on the Disney+ platform.
“We estimate that TV series and programs authorized by companies such as AT&T Warner, Disney, , Comcast, and account for nearly 65% of users’ viewing time on Netflix. Once the copyright is withdrawn, Netflix will be greatly affected. Of course Netflix can also continue to acquire other popular content, coupled with the original dramas being produced, users may still buy it, but it is not a long-term solution after all.” Analyst Michael Pache explained.
In the global streaming battle, the players are far more than Disney+ and Netflix.
Apple TV+ was launched in more than 100 countries around the world with four original dramas including "See" and "Morning News" at a price of US$5 per month, which is lower than that of many competitors; it is already the second largest in the world Amazon Prime, a major streaming media platform, has also produced original products such as " The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel " and "Manchester by the Sea". , fresh shopping discounts and a series of user rights; and AT&T Warner will launch the streaming media platform HBO Max in 2020; NBCUniversal will also launch in 2020In 2019, Peacock, a streaming media platform focusing on comedy film and television content, was launched, and it was preparing to take over the popular "The Office" on Netflix.
With more and more competitors entering the game, the game may have just begun.
Chinese streaming media goes overseas
On the one hand, Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime compete for the global streaming media market. Judging from the financial reports of several companies in the third quarter, although some profit indicators of each company are lower than expected, the overall revenue and Compared with the same period last year, there was an increase of about 30%. This means that the global streaming cake is still huge, and there are plenty of seats on the track.
On the other hand, the domestic streaming media battle has formed a three-legged situation of "Aiyouteng". With the full development of the domestic market and the sluggish Internet advertising throughout the year, the growth rate of the three streaming media revenues has slowed down. From the acquisition of film and television drama copyrights, to self-made original works, and the formation of an IP industry chain, Chinese streaming media, whose content and business operation system has gradually matured, has begun to deploy overseas.
The global battle of streaming media is intensifying.
Tencent and iQiyi, which are the first to go overseas, have chosen the Southeast Asian market.
In June 2019, Tencent Video launched the overseas version of WeTV in Thailand, providing domestic original content from the Thai dubbed version of its subsidiary Penguin Film and Television, and launched local content created with local partners. On November 6, iQIYI reached a strategic cooperation with Astro, the number one media brand in Malaysia. Malaysian users can log in to the iQIYI International Edition iQIYI App with an Astro account, or register and log in through email, Facebook, Google, and accounts.
went overseas together with the streaming media platforms, as well as the high-quality original content of each platform. Southeast Asia has a similar geography, history and culture to China. As early as a few years ago, the popularity of dramas such as "My Fair Princess", "The Legend of Zhen Huan" and "Small Smile is Alluring" in the local area has verified the possibility of content going overseas in Southeast Asia.
"IQIYI International" officially stated that in 2019, original content such as "Ice Breaking Action", " Fire Military Academy ", " China's New Rap ", " Strange Flower Talk " and other original content launched in cooperation with Astro in 2019 have become top viewers in Malaysia. Hotspot, more than 2 million users have watched iQIYI International Channel so far.
is also attracted by many young audiences in Southeast Asia, as well as global streaming media giants. Since
Netfix entered Asia in 2017, it has successfully harvested more than 58 million paying users in Asia in one year, more than its users in the United States. At the end of 2018, it announced that it will establish 17 film and television production centers in Asia.
Disney also publicly stated in April that the Asia-Pacific region will be the top priority of future international business and one of the driving forces for the growth of the streaming media business.
In addition, Amazon Prime is also investing in Asia and cooperating with film and television companies such as Bollywood in India to use local content to attract product traffic.
differs from European and American users in their habit and recognition of "paid video", while users in the Asia-Pacific region, especially Southeast Asia, prefer the free model. Even though Netflix tried to reduce the payment price in India, South Korea, Malaysia and other places, and won a short-term surge in the number of users, the follow-up still showed a weak trend.
The current situation of the streaming media market in Southeast Asia is quite similar to that in the initial stage of the development of the streaming media market in China. From providing users with free videos, to increasing the advertising time in the middle of the video, to paying members to remove advertisements, and then developing into self-made original content on paid viewing platforms, the video payment habits of Chinese users have grown with the evolution of streaming media platforms.
combines the existing domestic successful experience with localized operations in Southeast Asia, which may be a feasible way for Chinese streaming media to go overseas and challenge global industry giants.
It has been 10 days since Disney+ was launched in the United States, and the Jenny family is still enjoying the new platform.
Once, the younger son insisted on watching the Disney animation "Lego Star Wars". Jenny didn't have this movie in her mind. With the insistence of the younger son, she did find it, and spent the whole afternoon watching all five episodes with her son.
"We underestimated the amount of Disney's inventory, and there is a lot of content that we haven't seen." Jenny wrote in her blog. Her favorite Disney animation is "Sleeping Beauty, a film Jenny intends to keep to herself. When the
inventory was finally finished, the Jenny family did not cancel their Netflix subscription for downloading Disney+.
"I'm looking forward to Disney+'s upcoming Christmas original comedy movie "Noelle", just not sure if the kids will like it." Jenny wrote.
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