patrick.net

I cancelled my subscription a while ago. Kids haven’t complained.

DemocratsAreTotallyFucked says

Not enough interest yet in non-binary and transgender Jedi shows

Need to dial up the left wing programming in public schools, go more heavy on Tim Walz woke indoctrination handbook

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I suspect also this cancellation of Acolyte relates to what Disney CEO Bob Iger has been stating as far as Disney focusing more on entertaining content to appeal to all groups, and not political messaging.

Back in last April there was criticism directed at Acolyte: https://www.businessinsider.com/bob-iger-woke-disney-is-over-not-silence-his-critics-2024-4

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https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/improbabilities-tuesday-august-20

Speaking of queer things, yesterday the Hollywood Reporter ran a schadenfreudey Star Wars story under the headline, “‘The Acolyte’ Season 2 Not Moving Forward at Lucasfilm.” Disney’s woke new Star Wars show got the old light saber. Slice! It infamously featured a weird but super-diverse group of lesbian space witches as the heroes and cast the Jedi as villains. In a flash of creative stupidity, the queer space witches used magic to make babies without men. It was the non-patriarchy of the distant future/past, “a long time ago in a gay galaxy far, far away.”

Star Wars fans hated it. They rebelled worse than the ones who blew up the Death Star. Risking personal cancellation, they even dared to call The Acolyte, “gay.” Lesbian producer Leslye Headland, who hasn’t produced anything else you’d recognize, wanted the show to be gay. She wistfully said she gets “sad that people would think that if something were gay, that that would be bad,” adding that she considers the Acolyte “the most important piece of art that I’ve ever made.”

Art’s meaning, as they always tell us, lies in the eye of the beholder. A beholder of art can’t be wrong. In this case, the beholders were sci-fi fans. And the beholders didn’t like it. So the beholders stopped watching it.

Maybe Leslye’s show was too gay. Or maybe audiences don’t want atypical sexual ethics launched down their throats like photon torpedoes into the Death Star’s ventilation port.

But … has Disney yet learned its lesson? Or will its next Star Wars show be even gayer than The Acolyte?

I consider it a sci-fi take on a current social paradigm.

That is a couple of Black kids growing up without a father.

... and yes, it is also gay, but Lucasfilm hates my take even worse than that.

original link

Patrick says

Lesbian producer Leslye Headland,

worked as Harvey Weinstein’s personal assistant in 2002.

Disney is Killing Its Free Streaming Service & Shutting Down Its ABC App

For about a year now, Disney has been building a free streaming service inside its ABC app, which is full of free content and live channels along with content behind a paywall. Now, Disney has notified users that on September 23, 2024, it will be shutting down its ABC app.

The ABC app had over 20 free channels full of content dedicated to many Disney-owned properties, including ESPN.

Update: Disney is also shutting down multiple other network apps. You can learn more here.

Update #2: Disney will be keeping its the ABC website running letting you watch the content from its app there but no longer will its apps work after the 23rd of September.

There is no official word yet on where the content will be moving, but there have been reports that Disney+ will be adding live channels to its app. It would seem very likely that Disney will move the content on the ABC app over to the Disney+ app to help it attract new subscribers.

According to the Wall Street Journal sources familiar with the plans, Disney plans to overhaul the Disney+ app. This change will leverage personalized promotional art tailored to individual tastes and viewing history, send email reminders about programs, and enhance its recommendation algorithm. These moves aim to surface content that users are more likely to enjoy, making it easier to find their next binge-watch.

Perhaps the biggest change will be the introduction of 24/7 live channels dedicated to popular shows. This concept, similar to Pluto TV’s model, has proven successful in capturing viewers who prefer just want to turn on the TV and watch something. While this was initially reported by The Information in May, it has now been confirmed by The Wall Street Journal.

Disney joins a growing number of cable TV networks that are shutting down their dedicated apps to instead focus on their subscription services like Max and Paramount+. This is a trend that will likely see other cable networks and maybe even broadcast TV networks shut down their dedicated apps to try and grow subscribers to their paid services.

https://cordcuttersnews.com/disney-is-killing-its-free-streaming-service-shutting-down-its-abc-app/

Al_Sharpton_for_President says

Disney joins a growing number of cable TV networks that are shutting down their dedicated apps to instead focus on their subscription services like Max and Paramount+. This is a trend that will likely see other cable networks and maybe even broadcast TV networks shut down their dedicated apps to try and grow subscribers to their paid services.

That's a tough business model. You can watch Youtube, Rumble, etc. for free. I think we've even cut any paid streaming services at this point. If you don't have the content, no one is going to subscribe. Even if there was one killer show I still probably would subscribe to watch it. Yellowstone (show) was the only service I did subscribe to and then cancelled after I watched it all.

I get more entertainment here or podcasts than from the TV.

DemocratsAreTotallyFucked says

I beg to differ - the chicks in Star Trek TOS had massive biscuits and miniskirts that barely hid teh bootey. Star Wars was barely disguised faggotry from the beginning.

EDIT: Everything after TOS was globohomo too.

Disney Layoffs Underway: Hundreds Of Corporate Staffers Impacted

EXCLUSIVE: More layoff news in what already has been a depressing week. Disney is in the middle of a new wave of cuts as part of a “cost-saving initiative,” sources tell Deadline. We hear about 300 or so people are affected by the layoffs that started yesterday and are continuing today and tomorrow, with a possibility to stretch beyond that.

The positions — all based in the U.S. — are across Disney’s corporate operations, including legal, HR, finance and communications, we hear. Among the divisions that are not impacted in this round are Parks, ESPN as well as Disney Entertainment.

“We continually evaluate ways to invest in our businesses and more effectively manage our resources and costs to fuel the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect from Disney,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “As part of this ongoing optimization work, we have been reviewing the cost structure for our corporate-level functions and have determined there are ways for them to operate more efficiently.”

oday’s cuts follow the July 31 round of layoffs at Disney Entertainment Television when about 140 people were let go, representing about 2% of the total DET workforce, and Disney animation studio Pixar reducing staff by 14% in May.

Disney’s layoffs started yesterday, on the same day Paramount Global laid off hundreds in the second round of its own layoffs aiming to cut 15% of the company’s U.S. workforce, with Paramount+ getting the brunt of the cuts.

Traditional media companies are going through tough times amid a soft ad market — despite the influx of spending on political ads and live sports — as pay-TV continues to decline markedly and ad dollars are migrating to digital platforms. Legacy companies also have been slashing streaming costs as they are shifting focus on profitability for their platforms.

In addition to Disney and Paramount’s multiple rounds of staff reductions, Fox Entertainment eliminated about 30 positions through a restructuring in July. There were also layoffs at Warner Bros Discovery the same month.

Disney has been in a cost-cutting mode since Bob Iger returned as CEO in late 2022. The big first wave in 2023 eliminated roughly 7,000 jobs over multiple rounds, which represented about 3.2% of the company’s total global workforce.

https://deadline.com/2024/09/disney-layoffs-corporate-1236099769/

Still going sideways.

Patrick says

I wonder if French prisoners target child molesters for brutal treatment.

Looks like they're out of the woods everywhere except parks:

Disney shares jump after profits top estimates
Investing.com
Thu, November 14, 2024 at 7:37 AM PST 2 min read
In This Article:
DIS
+8.79%

Investing.com - Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) has reported better-than-anticipated income and revenue in its fourth quarter, boosting shares in the media giant by more than 7% in early dealmaking on Thursday.

The company was bolstered in particular by strength at its key streaming business, which helped power a 14% jump in revenue at its entertainment segment versus the year-ago period to $10.83 billion.

Disney has targeted growth at its offerings like Disney+ and Hulu despite fierce competition among streaming video services. The number of Disney+ subscribers rose by 4% compared to the prior quarter to 122.7 million, ahead of Wall Street expectations of 119.85 million. Paying customers at Hulu and the group's Disney+ Hotstar unit also topped projections.

When folding in its ESPN+ sports service, overall streaming operating profit came in at $321 million, rebounding from a loss of $387 million a year earlier.

Operating income at the entertainment division also more than doubled to $1.07 billion thanks in part to the box office success of its Marvel's summer superhero movie "Deadpool&Wolverine."

The result helped mitigate the impact of a 5.7% dip in operating profit at Disney's experiences division to $1.66 billion, which includes its theme parks and cruise ships. Following an initial post-pandemic surge in demand, the business has been hit by many Americans choosing to rein in spending in response to cost-of-living constraints.

In a statement, CEO Bob Iger, who returned to the helm of Disney in 2022 promising to carry out a sweeping turnaround of the business through cost cuts and a revamp of its film and TV studios, said the overhaul has seen "significant progress."

"[W]e have emerged from a period of considerable challenges and disruption well positioned for growth and optimistic about our future,” Iger said.

Total revenue expanded by 6.3% year-over-year to $22.57 billion, above expectations of $22.47 billion. Adjusted per-share earnings of $1.14 beat estimates as well.

In its current fiscal year, Disney said it is confident in its long-term prospects and believes it is "well positioned for growth." Full-year adjusted per-share profit is seen increasing in the high-single digits, although it flagged a "modest decline" in Disney+ subscribers compared to the fourth quarter.

Disney predicted double-digit growth in adjusted per-share earnings in both its 2026 and 2027 fiscal years as well.