Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro Says They’ll Continue To Expand Existing Franchises While Working To “Take Creative Risks To Build Brand New Ones” – With Gaming Being Part Of Entertainment, It “Creates New Opportunities To Cross-Promote & We’ll Use Games To Extend Storytelling & Ultimately Develop New IPs.”
by lowell2017
9 Comments
Gaming is easily the most lucrative media of the modern age so I’m not surprised with the pivot.
I mean isn’t this THE Hollywood business model? Using profit from existing IPs to fund new stuff and hoping those will turn into new IPs before they milk the existing IPs dry?
Not to mention, they don’t just view the networks themselves as only linear anymore but as actual brands themselves, which is a pretty interesting approach:
“On Wednesday, during Disney’s quarterly earnings call, the new regime led by CEO Josh D’Amaro laid out the vision for operating ABC, FX, Disney Channel, Freeform and the handful of other domestic channels still in the Magic Kingdom. Hugh Johnston, Disney’s chief financial officer, pointed to FX and its success in 2024 with the global hit “Shogun.”
“These networks are better thought of as brands with studios that produce content like ‘The Bear’ or ‘Shogun,’ and we monetize that content across multiple distribution platforms. Separating those monetization platforms into discrete businesses is highly complex, and in our view, unlikely to create incremental value for shareholders, especially given where linear networks are valued in today’s marketplace,” said Johnston, who is also senior executive VP.”
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/disney-linear-tv-channels-brands-studios-damaro-johnston-1236739277/
Other companies might be paranoid about their own channels but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be focusing on expanding those brands beyond their linear TV form to maintain long-term relevancy at this point.
> Even as we invest in existing franchises, we know the importance of taking creative risks to build new
ones. Hoppers, from Pixar, is a strong example of our focus on original IP, and we are pleased with its
critical reception and the enthusiasm with which fans have embraced the story and characters.
Guess we found our next franchise
I feel like Encanto is likely to get a sequel or remake within a couple of years. That’s a movie with franchise potential
In hindsight, Disney getting rid of their gaming division in the 2010s was kind of dumb. The whole thing didn’t have to go even if Disney Infinity was no longer making a profit.
I wonder if these new IPs would be live action or if they’ll just be animated. Disney & Pixar have been pretty good at getting new animated IPs out there, but some new major live action franchises would be nice.
It’s always surprised me that sagas like Marvel, Star Wars, or even animated classics haven’t had many video games. As an art form, it’s very successful.
Let’s hope he cans all future Disney remakes too