Disney Does the News Now
Today, I’m going to tell you what you need to know about What You Need to Know.
Disney+ just announced a new news program, but there’s a lot more happening under the hood than just that.
Photo:Ivan Marc / Shutterstock.com
Yes, Disney does the news now, and it’s a much bigger deal than you may think.
Gen Z News
How do you do, fellow kids? And thank you for glancing away from TikTok long enough to read this.
Yes, I’m generalizing with outdated memes and sweeping generalizations, but there’s a reason for that.
Walt Disney Company
So is Disney. Your favorite company faces an evolving marketplace and a mysterious generation of media consumers.
Disney missed this group entirely at first, as they grew up second-screening.
Photo: simplemost.com
Somehow, Gen Z has partially become the first non-Disney generation in roughly a century.
Disney executives are acutely aware of this fact, too. And it bothers them.
Photo: Disney
One day in the not-too-distant future, the younger members of Gen Z will start vacationing with their families.
Some of the “oldest” Gen Z people are already there, as they’ve entered their late 20s.
Photo: Disney
Disney has done better with them, as this group consists of the High School Musical generation.
The kids from the 2010s mostly missed Disney, though. And for whatever reason, Disney’s having trouble finding them.
Many of the company’s current attempts at cross-generational programming attempt to bring this group into the fold.
And Disney’s latest project falls squarely into this category. No matter what Disney calls it, the show is Gen Z News.
Photo: Disney
By the way, what Disney actually calls it is What You Need to Know.
This news program represents Disney’s latest attempt to create easily consumable news content for younger viewers.
What You Need to Know about…Well, You Know
The average age of a cable news viewer is 67 to 70 years old, depending on your favored news channel.
I’m not making a joke here. That’s a statistical fact.
Viewers of CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC are 67, 69, and 70 years old on average.
In other words, they were born in the 1950s. I don’t need to hand you a calendar for you to know that was a while ago.
Photo: Fox
And the fact that I’m even mentioning calendars immediately dates me.
Thankfully, I’m not in the cable news demographic yet, though. But I digress.
Photo: Rappler
The point is that the current generational divide signifies one of the largest in the history of civilization.
The internet era of children has either become adults or will be ones soon. And Disney missed many of them.
Photo:seoclerk.com
Since Disney wants their vacation money, the company is trying to reach this lost generation in various ways.
The latest attempt involves a news program called What You Need to Know. It’s hard news with a soft touch.
Credit: Disney
Disney already airs ABC World News Tonight with David Muir on Disney+, but its target audience is much older.
What You Need to Know has cast the more viewer-friendly duo of ABC Chief International Correspondent James Longman and Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott.
Photo: Computer Hope
Their job each day will be to distill a full set of headlines into more palatable quick bites.
Basically, Disney wants to TikTokify the news. And this won’t even be the first recent attempt.
Extending the Disney Bubble
Photo:visitorlando.com
The unstated goal of Disney’s news programming is to train viewers to check with them first.
Basically, Disney wants to create a walled garden for its content. It wants to be the sole outlet for loyal fans.
Photo: orlandoattractions.com
I think of the process as extending the Disney Bubble into our homes.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, you’ll find the Disney Bubble at Walt Disney World.
Photo: Disney
It’s the way that Disney takes care of all your needs while you’re vacationing at the parks.
When you leave the Disney campus and depart the bubble, you’ll notice that the rest of Orlando is less convenient.
Disney
Disney has perfected its theme park experience such that once you arrive there, you never want to leave.
With Disney+, the company intends to perfect its streaming platform similarly.
Photo: Getty Images/Ringer illustration
If things go right, you’ll pull up Disney+ for everything from news to sports to entertainment.
In broad strokes, that’s the system Disney created with cable television.
Forbes
However, the company can optimize that strategy in the digital era. People don’t close an app as often as they changed channels back in the day.
Therefore, if Disney can generate the content that subscribers and especially Gen Z members want, it’s a win.
Photo: English Jargon
Disney will build a wholly loyal viewing audience for its content, even more challenging subject matter such as the news.
Disney has been field-testing this extension of the Disney Bubble into our homes for a while now.
Photo: ESPN
First, SC+ debuted as an initial test/proof of concept, offering a modified Sports Center experience in 15 minutes.
Disney has since added Vibe Check, an all-female panel of sports analysts who discuss the day’s events.
Photo: Disney
It’s like The Pat McAfee Show but better since Pat McAfee isn’t on it.
Disney’s Other Challenge and Goal Here
Walt Disney Company
Persuading people to turn on Disney+ and watch the news isn’t easy in and of itself.
When people do that, they may prefer a different option anyway.
Photo: ABC
In case you didn’t know, Disney+ already hosts a 24/7 Streams channel for ABC News.
So, let’s be clear on the point. What You Need to Know is selling a much different product.
ABC ogo
Over the past 25 years, Disney’s mantra has switched from news coverage to engagement bait.
In Disney’s defense, that’s the currency of the realm everywhere.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
So, as the cost of doing business, people like McAfee, Stephen A. Smith, and Paul Finebaum have become prevalent.
This tactic has worked beyond Disney’s wildest dreams, and it’s also the reason why The View is currently in its 28th season.
Photo: Bloomberg
Disney doesn’t have much choice here, as it’s bleeding Linear Networks viewers by the day.
The company must convert those viewers to the Disney Bundle. Otherwise, Disney loses billions in advertising revenue.
Deadline
Still, I suspect this new endeavor will struggle to succeed, as streaming viewers have proven notoriously fickle.
As proof, Netflix cancels at least ten shows a month, and it’s better at viewer engagement than Disney or anybody else, for that matter.
Photo: Netflix
Also, all forms of news have become a kind of Choose Your Own Adventure.
People with specific political beliefs are never going to give Disney a chance at news coverage, no matter what.
Thus, I’m evaluating What You Need to Know as a trial run rather than a long-term news program.
But I’m fascinated by Disney’s attempt to create its own news, which I’m guessing will include numerous corporate tie-ins.
Image: Disney
We’re facing the new digital version of the Disney Flywheel.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Feature Photo: Newsweek
