Pedro Pascal and Baby Yoda in the first chapter of the second season of 'The Mandalorian'. Lucasfilm / EL PAÍS
With nearly 87 million subscribers to its
streaming
platform
- thirteen million new since October alone - the announcement of Disney's ambitious expansion plans, through its Marvel and Star Wars franchises, has shaken the sector, as well as in the company's shares, which rose 2.5% in extended hours trading after the stock market closed.
The entertainment giant plans to premiere ten television series in each of the franchises over the next several years.
Subscribers will also be able to view 15 animated films and Pixar creations.
Among the hooks offered by the firm are the animated version of
Pinocchio
, with actor Tom Hanks as Gepetto, or the new
Peter Pan.
, who leave the cinemas to take refuge on the Disney + platform.
In a telematic conference for the shareholders of the company that took place this Thursday in Los Angeles, those responsible for it have promised users something new every week.
Another highlight is the launch of its new international entertainment platform, Star, on February 23, which will be the sixth extension of Disney +;
It will be seen in Europe, Canada and New Zealand, integrated into the already available Disney + service, and will offer 20th movies or recent series of great success, such as
The Americans
or
Homeland
.
Jerrell Jimerson, Disney + product manager, has also revealed that in Latin America it will also offer Star +, a new
streaming
service
for the region with entertainment from the best Disney brands, as well as content from the ESPN sports network and the ESPN + platform. which will hit the market in June 2021.
If the almost 87 million Disney + subscribers are added to the platforms Hulu, series and movies, and the sports platform ESPN +, the number of clients of the firm reaches 137 million.
Another promise of future programming is the "creation of content from the Kardashian clan" for Hulu and Star, in 2021.
Hollywood awaited the announcement of Disney's future plans with expectation, after a week ago Warner Bros, owner of the HBO Max platform, shook the film business by announcing that it will release its films in 2021 both in theaters and in
streaming
, a decision justified by the closure of cinemas due to the pandemic.
With its expansion plans, Disney intends to compete, with its Disney + series platform, with the
streaming
pioneer
Netflix, which began broadcasting in 2007 and had 195 million subscribers at the end of October.
In October, Disney announced restructuring plans to focus the business on
streaming
and meet the demands of an audience that in recent months has spent a lot of time locked up at home due to the pandemic, consuming television products.
The economic crisis resulting from the coronavirus does not appear to have affected Disney's expansion plans.
If in April 2019 the company had planned to attract between 60 and 90 million subscribers worldwide for the fiscal year 2024, only the data for October exceeded the most optimistic forecasts, with an audience of 74 million.
Disney + has been revalued by the great global success of the television series The Mandalorian, a Star Wars story where Baby Yoda has gained prominence.
There are already two other prequels in gestation, while the premiere in theaters, at Christmas 2023, of a new film in the Star Wars saga
The Rebel Squad is announced
.