Why Disney's Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel crashed and burned.

by Thinus Ferreira

Disney is shutting down its multi-million dollar, immersive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort after just 18 months, saying the Mouse House has learnt lessons from the very expensive flop.

After opening in March 2022, Disney has announced that the Galactic Starcruiser will be shutting down in late September. 

On the Halcyon, located close to the Galaxy's Edge Star Wars attraction at Walt Disney World, holiday-goers were immersed in various interactive adventures "aboard" the ship with the crew who were actors, staying in character for the 2 days per stay that a "space journey" took.

"Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognised for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment," Disney said in a statement announcing that it's shuttering the hotel after 18 months.

"This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and as we prepare for its final voyage, we will take what we’ve learned to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans."

Disney spent hundreds of millions of dollars to create Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser in Orlando, Florida in the United States during the reign of the now-ousted Disney CEO Bob Chapek but its last voyage will now be on 28 to 30 September.

The experience had an out-of-this-world price, starting at $4800 (R94 000) for two people sharing a cabin, to $6000 (R117 500) for a family of four.

After it opened, Bob Chapek kept hyping the popularity of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, saying at the time that demand for booking remained very strong and that "response to next-generation storytelling like Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser has been phenomenal."

In a Q&A session at at a JP Morgan communications conference this week, Josh D'Amaro, Disney parks, experiences and products chairman, said that the Galactic Starcruise was a stunning asset.

"The Imagineers did a stunning job putting it together, it got high guest ratings but it didn't perform how we wanted it to, so we decided we'd sunset it. It was a never-before-seen type experience and it raised the bar creatively but it was time."

Pete Werner, co-owner of the Dreams Unlimited Travel travel service in Orlando, on his DIS Unplugged podcast this week, weighed in and said "As far as what went wrong - we don't have to guess".

"Every major Disney outlet said the same thing when the pricing came out: The pricing was insane! Absolutely insane. Too expensive - and focused on a micro-niche market. I said it at the time: It's not sustainable long-term."

"The audience told them this. As usual Disney management rolled their eyes and doesn't take us seriously. Had they listened to us from the beginning, maybe they could have adjusted some things that would have given this at least a little bit longer life, if not made it a sustainable business model. But they don't do that," Werner said.

Disney: More Frozen, Zootopia and Toy Story as Disney+ loses 2.4 million subscribers - here are 5 takeaways from the Mouse House's latest quarterly report.

by Thinus Ferreira

In the first quarterly earnings report since he's back as Disney CEO, Bob Iger made several announcements and spoke and gave clarity about several issues - including that Disney+ lost 2.4 million subscribers and is also making more Frozen, Zootopia and Toy Story movies.

Here are 5 takeaways from Disney's latest earnings report:

1. Disney+ lost subscribers

Disney lost 2.4 million subscribers worldwide during the last three months of 2022 and now has 161.8 million subscribers globally. 

This is noteworthy since this is the first decline in Disney+ subscriber numbers since Disney+, which is available in South Africa since last year, launched in the United States in late-2020. Like the majority of streamers, Disney+ isn't profitable but Bob Iger believes Disney+ will turn profitable sometime in 2024.

2. Maybe less, but better content

In the arms race known as the "streaming wars", companies just threw money to produce a lot of content to try and catch up with Netflix, and to attract subscribers and scale up their service offerings - Disney+ included. That period is now fast coming to an end.

"We are going to take a really hard look at everything we make across television and film because things in a more competitive world have just simply gotten more expensive," Bob Iger said on the earnings call and noted that "we were as a company in a global arms race for subscribers".

He also said "We want the quality on the screen, but we have to look at what that costs us".

"In our zeal to go after subscribers, I think we might have gotten a bit too aggressive in terms of our promotion. We took our pricing up substantially on Disney+ and we only suffered a de minimis loss of subs. That tells us something. It may also tell us that the promotion to chase subs that we've been fairly aggressive at, wasn't absolutely necessary."

3. Streaming makes less money but is the future

Bob Iger said that streaming services like Disney+ are not as profitable as linear pay-TV channels but that video streaming is the future and that is what Disney is focused on growing.

"The streaming business, which I believe is the future and has been growing, is not delivering the kind of profitability or bottom-line results that the linear business delivered for us over a few decades. And so we're in a very interesting transition period, but one I think, which is inevitably heading towards streaming."

4. More Frozen, Zootopia and Toy Story

More Elsa! More Buzz Lightyear! More Gazelle! Bob Iger confirmed that Disney will be making further instalments of the hugely popular films Frozen, Zootopia and Toy Story. 

"I'm so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia," Bog Iger said. "We'll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we're leaning into our unrivalled brands and franchises."

5. Eliminating 7000 jobs

On Disney's earnings call, Bob Iger confirmed that The Walt Disney Company is cutting 7 000 jobs which will represent a reduction of 3.2% of its global workforce of 220 000 people. Bob Iger says the retrenchment are done to cut costs.

Why South Africa didn't yet get the Disney+ and HBO Max video streaming services - and likely won't soon: The content is tied up in MultiChoice and M-Net's multiyear output deals with Disney and WarnerMedia.

by Thinus Ferreira  

Why can you buy the "Lego Brickheadz Star Wars The Mandalorian & Child" set - a new Amazon best-seller - at ToysRUs in South Africa for R369.90, but you can't actually watch Disney and Lucasfilm's The Mandalorian TV show legitimately anywhere in South Africa that the merc is based on?

Existing, multiyear content contracts between MultiChoice and M-Net, with respectively The Walt Disney Company and WarnerMedia, are likely the main reason why Disney+ and HBO Max have not been launched or earmarked with rollout dates in Africa and why South African consumers can't access these video streaming services.

Africa is the only continent conspicuously left out in the rollout plans, pronounced dates and access to Disney+ and HBO Max. 

It's likely ironically due to the issue that the access that Disney and WarnerMedia's have to their own content is currently tied up and curtailed in long-term distribution deals with traditional direct-to-home (DTH) pay-TV operators like MultiChoice and M-Net.

Known as so-called "output deals", both Disney and WarnerMedia are likely waiting for these multiyear international content distribution contracts for its shows, ranging from ABC to HBO seen across the M-Net (DStv 101) channel and others, to first lapse before launching Disney+ and HBO Max in South Africa.

Launching Disney+ and HBO Max as truncated streaming apps without a lot of the content on it that viewers might expect them to have but that might then not be available, could damage the initial brand perception under consumers of these video streamers if there were to be complaints about a lack of content.

Netflix - that previously sold some of its shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black to M-Net before it had its own service locally - as well as Amazon Prime Video, have both since launched in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa.

Neither of them has any big output deals with other platforms like MultiChoice that would make a dent in their own catalogue offerings in the way that Disney+ and HBO Max would struggle.

WarnerMedia has the same problem in the United Kingdom, where Disney+ has launched, with HBO Max that won't be rolled out in Britain until at least 2025 after its existing output deal with the pay-TV service Sky has lapsed.

While WarnerMedia has announced a detailed timeline for the ongoing rollout of HBO Max, South Africa has been snubbed with no indication of when the streamer might launch.

In response to a media enquiry asking whether its reluctance is due to its exclusive, long-term output deal with MultiChoice, similar to Sky, and if there's any indication as to when HBO Max might become available, WarnerMedia tells TVwithThinus that "Regarding HBO Max, we are focusing on our mid-year launch in Latin America, followed by launches in Europe where we already operate HBO services".

"We have not communicated plans beyond that and as you know, in many places, including in Africa, we have important content partners who distribute our programming."

About Disney+'s delayed launch in Africa, and if the company is worried about consumers pirate viewing its streamer's content, Walt Disney Africa says that "at this stage we have no news to share regarding Disney+, including its release in South Africa and the continent".

TVwithThinus asked MultiChoice in a media enquiry why Disney+ has not yet been added as an app to the DStv Explora Ultra, whether it has to do with MultiChoice's long-term output deal for content and if MultiChoice is specifically in any talks with Disney about adding Disney+.

MultiChoice was also asked why HBO Max isn't being added to the DStv Explora Ultra as a SVOD service and whether this absence is also related to another multiyear output deal with HBO for content that must first lapse in the way that is the case with Sky in the UK.

MultiChoice said that it has no comment at the moment.

ALSO READ: Disney remains silent over why Africa remains ostracised from its Disney+ streaming service, touts its 'regional commitment' to the UK and Europe whilst ignoring the A in its EMEA region.

Disney reveals the poster and first teaser trailer for its new mockumentary series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series which looks like Glee The Next Generation.

Disney on Friday released the poster and first teaser trailer of its new upcoming mockumentary teen series, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series that will start on its upcoming new video streaming service Disney+ on 12 November.

The hilarious-looking High School Musical: The Musical: The Series feels like "Glee: The Next Generation" - and every episode of the 10-episode series will contain a song from the original film trilogy.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is set at the East High School where the High School Musical films were filmed.

The millennial drama teacher discovers that East High School has never done a musical about High School Musical, and sets out to do a musical about High School Musical, causing High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to become a show-within-a-show and explaining the title.

The pupils at East High School now compete for roles in the musical and to play the characters of Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez and Sharpay Evans, who Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale played in the original film franchise. I

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series picks up nearly 15 years after the original Disney movie with Disney that unveiled the trailer at its D23 Expo taking place in Anaheim, California in the United States, along with a screening and panel.

The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series cast includes Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo, Kate Reinders, Sofia Wylie, Matt Cornett, Dara Reneé, Julia Lester, Frankie A. Rodriguez, Larry Saperstein and Mark St. Cyr.

The series was developed and is executive produced by Tim Federle alongside showrunner and executive producer Oliver Goldstick. Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush from the original High School Musical trilogy are also executive producers. The choreographer is Zach Woodlee.

Disney announced in the past week that it will launch Disney+ on 12 November in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands and a week later in Australia and New Zealand.

With The Walt Disney Company that decided not to launch its new subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) in Africa and South Africa, many South Africans in the week said that they would love to pay Disney for the Disney+ service that will cost around R100 per month in each of these countries.

Disney doesn't consider South Africa to be one of its "major regions" in the world according to its latest investors presentation with South Africa that might get Disney+ only from around 2022 or later.

South Africans indicated that they will likely resort to using illegal downloads and torrent sites to watch the new content like High School Musical: The Musical: The Series along with an avalanche of new and original Disney and Marvel content specifically produced for Disney+.

Disney+ as a new video streaming service despite any marketing or publicity in South Africa already enjoys a large awareness under South Africans viewers and consumers.

Disney+ was the number one topic of discussion and elicited the most questions from the media - with no answers about when it's coming to South Africa - at Disney's annual Disney Africa 2019/2020 content showcase that was held on Tuesday in Cape Town.

If or when Disney+ is to launch in South Africa, it will compete with MultiChoice's Showmax from its Connected Video division, as well as Netflix South Africa, Amazon Prime Video and Cell C black along with some smaller services all trying to grow their SVOD customer market share.

Disney announces the international markets that will get its Disney+ video streaming first including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands - but South Africa excluded.

South Africa that isn't considered a "major market" by Disney remains locked out with The Walt Disney Company that announced on Monday that its upcoming Disney+ video streaming service that will launch on 12 November in America will also be available within a week after launch in four international markets including Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.

Disney has commissioned an avalanche of TV content in the form of new animation and live-action series and films from its combined Marvel, Disney, Pixar and Star Wars brands that will be available on its new subscription video-on-demand SVOD) service, along with a massive library of content from 21st Century Fox and National Geographic.

Disney+ will compete globally with streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, along with the soon-to-launch Apple TV+ and WarnerMedia's HBO Max.

Disney's new Direct-to-Consumer and International division announced on Monday that it had reached global agreements with Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roku, and Sony to distribute its Disney+ across partner mobile and connected-TV devices.

Besides the launch of Disney+ in the United States where it will cost $6.99 (R107.24) per month from 12 November, Walt Disney on Monday announced that Disney+ will also launch on the same day in Canada costing CAD$8.99 (R103.96), and the Netherlands costing €6.99 (R118.99) per month.

Disney+ will make its debut a week later from 19 November 2019 in both Australia at A$8.99 (R93.42) and New Zealand costing NZD$9.99 (R98.30) as well.

South Africa and Africa remains excluded from Disney+ but so is the United Kingdom. Disney says that it expects to make Disney+ available in all major markets within the first two years after launch.

When Disney+ launch in these initial markets, Disney+ subscribers will be able to sign up and use the service directly or through in-app purchases on Apple's iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV; Google's Android phones, Android TV devices, Google Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices; Microsoft Xbox One; Sony Interactive Entertainment's PlayStation 4 and all of Sony's Android-based TV set; as well as Roku streaming players and Roku TV sets.

The Walt Disney Company Africa is set to hold its annual content showcase for the media and advertisers for 2019/2020 showing more about its upcoming content slate on Tuesday 20 August in South Africa.

Last week Disney announced that it has appointed Luke Bradley-Jones as the boss of Disney+ for Europe and Africa.

Disney appoints Luke Bradley-Jones as the boss of its Disney+ video streaming service in Europe and Africa.

TheWalt Disney Company has appointed Luke Bradley-Jones as the boss of its planned Disney+ subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service for Europe and Africa, although Disney doesn't have plans to launch Disney+ in South Africa or Africa when Disney+ makes its debut on 12 November 2019 in the United States at $6.99 (R106.78) per month.

The Disney+ streaming service won't be launching in South Africa until at least 2022 since Africa is not listed as one of Disney's "major regions".

Disney is likely underestimating Africa and specifically the South African market where existing video streaming services like Netflix South Africa, Amazon Prime Video and MultiChoice's Showmax as the major competitors as well as some minor players are battling it out for OTT SVOD market share.

Many South African viewers are asking daily about Disney+ and have said they'll pay R100 per month as an alternative to Netflix and Showmax, to get access to the avalanche of new and original streaming content that Disney will make available on Disney+ from launch.

South African video content consumers simply won't wait to watch buzzy new series specifically produced for Disney+ - ranging from the first Star Wars live-action drama series The Mandalorian, to a live-action High School Musical series, Marvel series like Loki with Tom Hiddleston reprising his film role, as well as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier; including a growing collection of animation series ranging from a revived Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Monsters at Work.

Now Disney has appointed Luke Bradley-Jones as the senior vice president of direct-to-consumer and general manger of Disney+ for Europe and Africa.

Luke Bradley-Jones who will start as the Disney+ Europe and Africa boss only in early-2020, will be based in London in the United Kingdom and will be responsible for managing the Disney+ streaming service for Disney in Europe and Africa.

Luke Bradley-Jones will report to Jan Koeppen, president of television and direct-to-consumer for Europe and Africa, and Michael Paull, president of Disney Streaming Services. He will also work with Ricky Strauss, president of content and marketing for Disney+.

Luke Bradley-Jones was previously the chief marketing officer at Britain's Sky UK pay-TV service where he was responsible for brand strategy, product and content marketing, as well as customer engagement across all of Sky TV's broadband and mobile products.

Before joining Sky, Luke Bradley-Jones spent five years at BBC Studios, the British public broadcaster’s commercial arm, initially joining as head of strategy before rising to managing director of BBC.com and Global iPlayer, responsible for the BBC's online, mobile and digital video-on-demand business.

He spent two years in the United States where he launched BBC.com and built out a digital VOD business through partnerships with Apple, Netflix, Xbox and Yahoo.

America's struggling sports brand ESPN returning to South Africa and Africa after 6 years as Disney rebrands the Fox Networks Group's Fox Sports channels after 5 years on StarSat and Cell C black to ESPN on 30 August.

America's struggling sports channel brand ESPN from Disney is returning to South Africa and Africa that it dumped 6 years ago, through a corporate rebranding order under which the Fox Sport channels from the Fox Networks Group will be changed to Disney's ESPN.

As part of the ongoing international restructuring of its combined channel portfolios following The Walt Disney's takeover of 21st Century Fox, Fox Sports (StarSat 244 / Cell C black 401) and Fox Sports 2 (StarSat 245 / Cell C black 402) will flip to ESPN and ESPN2 from 30 August 2019 as part of Disney's backdoor rebranding and channels consolidation alignment.

China's StarTimes running its satellite pay-TV service as StarSat in South Africa added Fox Sports and Fox Sports 2 in August 2014, with Cell C that added the Fox Sports channels as linear TV channels to it subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service when it launched in December 2017.

Now Fox's Fox Sports brand is getting culled after a 5-year presence in the South African and sub-Saharan Africa territory and replaced by ESPN.

Disney and ESPN dumped South Africa and Africa 6 years ago in July 2013 when ESPN and ESPN Classic when Disney abruptly pulled the channels from MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service leaving DStv subscribers angry and upset.

In mid-May 2012 Disney pre-warned that it would cut ESPN internationally as a result of the growing cost of acquiring live sports rights and that ESPN can't afford, or isn't willing to pay what it takes to broadcast sports internationally.

Bob Iger, the Walt Disney chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) told investors "that the opportunities for ESPN is limited internationally" and that "ESPN's international business has never been particularly large, nor has it been a huge priority for the company".

Now Disney is bringing ESPN back by flipping the Fox Sports lid to ESPN since it owns 21st Century Fox, which owns Fox Sports.

ESPN will add some new sports while the Fox Sports-now-ESPN channels will continue to show content from the English Football League Championship, Dutch Eredivisie, Scottish Premiership, Turkish Super Lig, Belgian Pro League, Major League Soccer (MLS), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Frank Rutten, who was the executive vice president for sports at Fox Networks Group and now oversees the rebranded ESPN for Europe and Africa, in a supplied statement says "Rebranding as ESPN is a natural transition following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company".

"The ESPN brand is synonymous with sports, is one of the most valuable brands in the world and has an established global reach."

Christine Service, senior vice president and country manager at The Walt Disney Company Africa, says "We are excited to grow our broadcast offering under the new ESPN banner, with our existing programming and intellectual property forming part of the plans for the future. We look forward to developing both channels in the months and years ahead."

Disney and ESPN have said nothing about why it wants to be back in Africa after it wanted out 6 years ago, or how the "new" ESPN will try to be better.

The ESPN brand was hugely damaged because of its ugly exit in mid-2013 with DStv subscribers saying they will never support, watch or trust it again.

Half-hearted brand marketing attempts in Africa by ESPN in conjunction with Econet's Kwesé TV that is now being liquidated but that sub-licensed some ESPN content rights for South Africa and Africa, have failed the past two years.

TOLDJA! The Disney Channel in South Africa on DStv finally also changes its on-air logo after the logo changed in May in America.

The Disney Channel (DStv 303) seen in South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform suddenly changed to its new logo on Monday without any prior warning or notification to the press.

The Disney Channel's brand-new logo was unveiled in May and Disney Channel for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region then told TV with Thinus that the logo would change in winter for South Africa but claimed a date for the change is not known.

The new wider Disney Channel logo is part of a redesign to help with a contemporary new look for the unified global business and to look better in the 42 places where The Disney Channel is broadcast as a high definition (HD) channel.

The Disney Channel is not broadcast in South Africa (yet) as a HD channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

Tricia Wilber, the chief marketing officer for The Walt Disney Company EMEA, couldn't be bothered to communicate or notify about the upcoming logo change of The Disney Channel for South Africa and Africa beforehand, but suddenly released a statement on Monday, saying "South African audiences will recognise some familiar scenes as the new look rolls out over the next few months".

Unlike the American press who were told, notified and shown the logo before it actually changed on-air in May in the United States, the Walt Disney Company and The Disney Channel EMEA strangely doesn't show the same respect to South Africa's media and couldn't be bothered to inform the press similarly beforehand - a weird double standard when it comes to marketing and publicity.

According to Tricia Wilber, "a series of spots" were filmed on Blouberg Strand in Cape Town "earlier this year" with South African children playing on the beach.

The rest of today's stale statement from Disney is the old drop-in quotes already used and read in May globally of Ron Pomerantz, the vice president of marketing and creative of The Disney Channel saying: "The dynamic new logo is a combination of two classic Disney icons – the distinct signature stroke of company founder Walt Disney and the three-circle shape evocative of Mickey Mouse".

"Our viewers have great affinity for two heritage elements that have long created a 'story' during our daily programming schedule - the four note music mnemonic and the beloved 'wand ID' in which our stars form our Disney Mouse ears with a wand. We are looking forward to introducing these elements in an exciting new package".

Very special 2012 Christmas wishes from Disney - hey look, it's Revenge! It's Once Upon a Time! It's Jessie!

Maybe it because it's Disney, but oh boy, do 'em mouse people do the best annual Christas card or what!

As usual, The Walt Disney Company South Africa has send over an electronic Christmas card to me, and once again it's one I can and will share will everyone for your own enjoyment if you click RIGHT HERE.

Disney's happy holidays Christmas card for 2012 include some cool surprises, ranging from Spider-Man and penguins, to special wishes from the stars of TV shows such as Revenge (on M-Net), Once Upon a Time (on M-Net Series) and Jessie (on The Disney Channel).

Nobody does (and utterly overdo!) glitter like Disney does. And that's a good thing.

I don't know, but I don't think Jedi (what's the plural of those protectors of that galaxy far, far away? Jedii) do Christmas (besides that 70's Christmas special with Bea Arthur).

However, with The Walt Disney Company having acquired LucasFilm, hopefully at the end of 2013 (if those Mayas were wrong and we're still here) Disney's anually delightful Christmas wishes might include an R2D2 jarble-electro-gurgle or some Obi-Wan wishes.

Disney also sent over the non-video card below:

Disney bringing The 7D as a new animation series to Disney Junior from 2014.

The Walt Disney Company is updating and and bringing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Disney Junior  (DStv 309) in a new animated TV series entitled The 7D.

The 7D (for the 7 dwarfs of course) will start in 2014 and is described as a "comedic take on the world of the Seven Dwarfs, set in a contemporary storybook world".

The 7D takes place in Jollywood where Queen Delightful relies on the 7D - Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc - to do things for her and to keep order.

The evil villains are Grim and Hildy Gloom who constantly plot to try and steal the secret jewels hidden in the seven dwarfs' mine. Tom Ruegger is the executive producer.

BREAKING. South African viewers, M-Net Series, excluded from the global same-day launch of Steven Spielberg's new drama, The River.

The River, the awesome-looking new Steven Spielberg TV drama starting tomorrow night in America is getting a massive, same-day launch in multiple countries as the big-buzz show from ABC Studios - distributed by Disney-ABC International Television (DIAT) - is seen as a big potential new TV hit and getting a global push by Disney.

... Just not in South Africa where the thriller is only starting 2 weeks later and not on the M-Net channel (DStv 101) where it would probably actually belong, but on M-Net Series (DStv 110).

The River is about a missing famous explorer in the Amazon and his son's attempt to go and find his father with some colleagues, who all run into something that wants to prevent their quest. The Walt Disney Company is lining up its biggest simultaneous worldwide launch for a TV show yet - it just will not be happening in South Africa with M-Net and DStv.

Broadcasters ranging from CTV in Canada to South Korea, Israel and the Netherlands, Sweden and TV Norge in Norway - even Poland - will show The River immediately or within 48 hours of the first episode going out tomorrow evening in America.

It's the same as what Fox International Channels did worldwide (and which included South Africa) when Fox premiered and showed subsequent episodes of Falling Skies and The Walking Dead on TopTV basically immediately after being shown in America (a strategy continuing with The Walking Dead second season).

Disney increasingly wants to prevent digital piracy of its TV content in international markets and want viewers to watch the show on television and not download it - especially now with a show with as much buzz as The River and which is executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

Disney, as are all the remaining global media content companies, are increasingly realizing the value that is untapped and can be unlocked by giving a worldwide audience the chance to see a show at the same time and focusing global attention through social networking on a brand - as well as possibly luring a bigger overall audience.

Viewers are less turned off by spoilers (since less spoilers exist). There's also less reluctance for viewers to start watching a show, and less motivation needed when a show is seen earlier, as opposed to only getting a show later which might also have fizzled out in America and already have lost its buzz and momentum.

Online piracy and spoilers are a huge problem for Disney globally - as well as each of the major global media companies - when, in an increasingly digital, mobile and globally connected age, shows start weeks or even months later than in America.

The River has been licensed by Disney in 182 other territories around the world where the new show will not be seen mere days after the American debut. South Africa is not included in the batch of countries able to see the show immediately. The River will also be on M-Net Series which is not considered a premium DStv channel and is available on lower-tiered DStv packages.

Beyond the delayed date it is good news however for DStv subscribers who balk at and refuse to, or can't afford to, pay for MultiChoice's top-tiered DStv Premium bouquet and channels like M-Net. With a raft of great new shows ranging from Once Upon a Time, GCB, The River, NYC 22, Ringer! and others starting on M-Net Series soon, premium quality television is made available to subscribers who don't have the top bouquet. 

The River will start on M-Net Series on Tuesday 21 February at 20:30.

BREAKING. Disneynature to launch its first film, the beautiful wildlife documentary African Cats, in South Africa in August.

Disneynature is the first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in over 6 decades and the new wildlife nature film African Cats that will be released in August in South Africa, will be the first film that will be released in this country under the Disneynature brand.

''Disneynature films are story-driven,'' says Disneynature president Jean-François Camilleri. ''African Cats is an incredible drama with great characters and powerful images and belongs on the big screen,'' he says. ''I think the film's message is that nature is beautiful.'' African Cats is a wildlife film narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and follows Mara, a lion cub who grows up with her mother; Sita, a cheetah mom of 5 newborns and Fang, a lion who must protect his family from a rival lion and his sons.

Disneynature launched in 2008. ''Disney has been making nature films for over 60 years and we are thrilled to be able to welcome the Disneynature brand to South Africa," says Christine Service, country manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa. African Cats will start in South Africa on Friday 5 August.