Disney Headlines for January 14th, 2025
This week in Disney Headlines, we’ll discuss brushfires, cruise ships, and a recent debacle.
Disney Cruise Line Goes Smaller
Some odd news came out on Friday. Disney Cruise Line confirmed details about its next wave of ships.
The surprise isn’t that these ships are coming soon. We’ve known since August that Disney intends to expand its fleet to 13 vessels.


DCL
What’s unexpected is the style of the new boats. One will be a Wish-class ship, which is to say it’ll be large.
The Disney Treasure I’ve raved about is also Wish-class in size, and it’s a cathedral at sea.


DCL
Disney has loaded the Treasure with the best amenities in the history of the cruise industry.
Presumably, we’ll get the Disney Destiny later this year, and it’ll be similarly overflowing with Disney theming and experiences.


Photo: Disney
So, the recently announced ship will be the fourth offering for this class.
The unknown is the other class whose title Disney hasn’t revealed yet.


Photo: Disney
This ship will be only 20 percent larger than the originals, the Disney Magic and Wonder.
That’s a step back in scale from Wish-class ships, which have 144,000 in gross tonnage (GTs).


Credit: Disney
These smaller vessels will be “only” 100,000 GTs. And you’re likely wondering why Disney made this change.
The answers are twofold. First, Disney has encountered a minor issue with the Disney Wish.


Back of Ship (Aft) on Disney Wish
This ship is a visual spectacle and a joy to experience on vacation. But the one thing it’s not is nimble.
Certain ports are simply too small to handle a mighty vessel of this scale.


Credit: Disney
This reality has forced Disney to rule out some cruise destinations it’d like. The newer, smaller ships can sail to these places.
Even better, the upcoming class of smaller ships will utilize more eco-friendly fuels.
Disney will save money on its cruises while reducing its carbon footprint.
Disney Donates to the Cause


Photo: KGET
By now, you know all the horrid details about the brushfires in Southern California.
There’s nothing new I can say here, but it is THE Disney Headline of the month.

Photo: ABC News
Many parts of this area suffered savage amounts of damage, with estimates currently at $150 billion.
If true, that would make it among the costliest natural disasters ever in the United States.


Photo Credit: Photo: NOAH BERGER, AP)
This story impacts Disney in multiple ways. First, it’s close enough to Disneyland Resort to worry people.
Thankfully, the brush fires never headed toward that part of Anaheim.


Universal
However, the smoke was problematic enough near Universal Studios Hollywood to force closures on Wednesday and Thursday.
That doesn’t mean Disney came away unscathed. Walt Disney Studios closed due to the horrible situation in the area.


The Walt Disney Company
Countless Disney employees have lost their homes due to this event, including screenwriter A.C. Bradley.
The author is responsible for the many episodes from the second season of Marvel’s What If…?


Photo: Disney
She’s one of the public faces of this tragedy, parts of which Disney CEO Bob Iger captured on Instagram.
I’m proud to say that Disney led by example this time, donating $15 million to Los Angeles Wildfire Relief.


Photo: Variety
This is a fractional amount in the greater scheme of these expenses, but it’s more than any other company did last week.
At times like this, we all feel better about being Disney fans.


The Walt Disney Company
Please know that if you’re one of those affected, you’re in our thoughts this week.
Disney’s Venu Debacle


Venu
Okay, it’s finally over. Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery admitted defeat with Venu Sports this week.
Often described as Sports Hulu, this service faced questions from the beginning.


Photo: Venu
I warned you 11 months ago that there were any number of reasons why this joint venture could fail.
In reality, Venu Sports couldn’t get past the first sticking point, which didn’t surprise me in the least.
While I tried to present the information optimistically for you Disney fans, anyone who listens to my podcast, Streaming into the Void, knows the deal.
We’ve derisively described it as vaporware for the body of the year.


Photo: Disney
The writing was on the wall early on that this thing was never getting off the ground.
Venu Sports was ill-considered and something of a panic move, which is decidedly un-Disney…or Fox, for that matter.


Walt Disney Company
Such a devastating mistake is VERY much the norm for WBD, though.
Disney’s Plan Remains


Photo: Fubo
Indeed, Disney’s purchase of Fubo last week led many to misread the situation.
The suspicion was that Disney had bought off the company suing them to push forward with Venu Sports.


Photo: Deadline
Instead, Disney eyed FuboTV as a REPLACEMENT for Venu Sports.
This service has two million subscribers Disney plans to pair with Hulu + Live TV, a similar skinny bundle product.


Photo: The New York Post
That service, which I presume will get a new name (or stick with Fubo) rather than Fubo+Hulu, instantly claims six million subscribers.
So, Disney has created a competitor to YouTube TV, but that’s not the purpose of this transaction. Instead, it’s the price point.


ESPN
Disney knows that its ESPN over-the-top app is coming soon, and it’ll cost $30-$40 at the start.
The idea with Fubo is to sell something with a different price range so that Disney can reach all potential consumers.


Photo: Deadline
By the time this is over, Disney live sports will be available via a cheap subscriber package, a moderately sized one, or a full bundle.
That was also the goal of Venu Sports. It just couldn’t get off the ground due to the antitrust concerns.


Photo: Variety
Bob Iger has repeatedly stated the terms of his philosophy here. Live sports fuel the Disney Flywheel, so Disney needs them.
Therefore, the company will meet the fans wherever their budget allows. Otherwise, Disney cannot market to them via live sports.


Disney
That’s what the Venu Sports discussion has always been for Disney, even though the conversation focused on the novelty of the joint venture.
And I should add that there’s no guarantee Disney ever finalizes the Fubo purchase. It could have simply been a temporary means to an end.


Photo: D23
Disney is working every angle right now to unlock the magic formula for live sports distribution via paid subscriptions.
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