美国国家公共电台 NPR Disney Plans To End Netflix Contracts And Launch Its Own Streaming Services

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

There's a new summer blockbuster, a clash of titans. Two entertainment giants that have been allies are planning to go head to head. The Walt Disney Company says starting in 2019 it will stop making its new movies and TV shows available on Netflix. It's going to set up its own streaming services, one for entertainment and one for sports. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik joins us now from our studios in New York to help break all this down. And, David, first just tell us - what is Disney planning to do?

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE¹: Well, so starting by calendar year 2019, Disney says it'll be pulling movies and TV shows from two of its main movie and entertainment lines - that's Walt Disney, you know, folks that created "Frozen" and "Moana," as well as Pixar, the home of "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "Toy Story" someday 27 - and be pulling it from Netflix. And that'll be an app for TV and movies. And there'll be a separate app for its incredibly dominant² sports brand, ESPN, where it promises an additional tens of thousands of hours of programming, much of which won't be available on its shows. And they'll be pulling stuff from, you know, several networks as well.

CORNISH: Is this also going include the ABC programming on TV?

FOLKENFLIK: That's right. They'll be television programs as well as films.

CORNISH: So why are they making this move now?

FOLKENFLIK: Well, there's increasing concern, of course, about cable cutting and the question of erosion. For example, ESPN is a giant in cable. It gets a lot of revenue for ESPN. But advertising³ has been down, and there's been erosion of how many households are having it. Disney Chairman Robert Iger spoke⁴ to investment analysts⁵ yesterday. He said that there were affirmative reasons to do this as well.

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ROBERT IGER: One of the reasons that we're doing this is because of the trends that we're seeing. But another reason that we're doing it is because of the strength of the brand and the opportunity that this technology and the consumer trends that the technology has created are providing. It's not just a defensive⁶ move. It's an offensive move.

FOLKENFLIK: So Iger is saying there they want to be closer to their consumers. They want to cut out the middlemen to get the data, but also get their revenues, figure out what works for them. And, you know, they may someday, they say, add the films from Lucasfilm, which are the "Star Wars" franchise⁷, as well as their Marvel⁸ Comics films. They're trying to figure out how much of the audience they can keep and retain the revenue from directly themselves.

CORNISH: But speak to the larger trend. I mean, this can't be good for Netflix as well.

FOLKENFLIK: Well, it's been kind of amazing. You've seen both Netflix share price go down since that announcement and Disney prices go down. There is this tussle⁹ for control over content. You know, you think of the major cable companies now and they've sort of seemed to have a hold on this until the streamers came along. Netflix and Amazon provided a counterbalance to those things. And now you're seeing almost everybody get into both the delivery and the content creation side of things. You're seeing this tussle over who's going to really control the consumer both in the creation of content that they want and the delivery of that content.

CORNISH: Finally, any risk for Disney here?

FOLKENFLIK: I mean, Disney, strictly¹⁰ speaking, isn't a technology company, although it's relied heavily on technology for all it's done and will be more of a technology company in the future. In fact, it just invested a lot of money in a company that'll help it stream a lot of these services. But if Disney can't execute the technology, if it's not at a price point that's valid¹¹, and if they don't have enough content that people want to pay separately for this service, then you could see them be as flummoxed on this end as they have been by the erosion of the support on cable for, you know, things that have been so profitable, so important to their company in years past such as ESPN.

CORNISH: That's NPR's David Folkenflik. Thanks for explaining it.

FOLKENFLIK: You bet.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

3 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

7 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

8 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

9 tussle   

n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩

参考例句：

• They began to tussle with each other for the handgun.他们互相扭打起来，抢夺那支手枪。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

10 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

11 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？