The Walt Disney Company has acquired a significant streaming company for $900M to boost its own streaming platform, Disney+.
Amid a series of changes across The Walt Disney Company, including different price increases for Disney Parks’ admission and experiences, fluctuating pricing for Disney’s Genie+ system, and most recently, the return of Disney’s CEO Robert Iger, the company has paid $900M to buy a significant streaming tech company to boost Disney+, the company’s streaming platform.
The Walt Disney Company reportedly paid $900M to Major League Baseball for the remaining 15% stake in BAMTech, a streaming video tech company that powers Disney+. This jaw-dropping financial movement comes just days before Disney+ is set to launch its ad-supported subscription tier and ahead of planned corporate restructuring under reinstated CEO Bob Iger.
MLB developed BAMTech as an in-house advanced media business before later spinning out as an independent company in 2015. The Walt Disney Company initially acquired a 33% stake in 2016 and then upped its position to 75% upon announcing its Disney+ plans in 2017, gaining majority ownership of BAMTech. The Walt Disney Company subsequently bought out a 10% stake from the National Hockey League and now has acquired the remaining 15%, formerly owned by MLB, to gain full ownership of the company.
Considering all the financial movements involved in BAMTech’s transition, The Walt Disney Company paid $3.48B to gain full ownership over the streaming tech company, per Forbes.
BAMTech, which was officially renamed “Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution” when Disney gained majority ownership of the company, states the following regarding the company:
Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) brings together the Company’s best-in-class product, technology, and commercialization teams into one global organization. DMED is responsible for the P&L management and all distribution, network and engineering operations, sales, advertising, data, and certain key technology functions worldwide for the Company’s content engines. DMED also manages operations of the Company’s streaming services including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+ Hotstar; and domestic broadcast and cable television networks.
As stated above, this recent acquisition comes in preparation for the launch of the ad-based subscription tier to Disney+, which will bring a series of changes to the platform, Hulu and ESPN+, Disney’s sister platforms. You can click here to read more about the changes coming to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
Walt Disney World Resort has its share of events and activities throughout the year. This year, an epic event will return to Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Theme Park in Orlando, Florida.
According to the Walt Disney World website, the EPCOT Theme Park allows Guests to “celebrate the stories that connect people and cultures around the world.”
If you’ve never been to EPCOT, it’s similar to other Parks with divided sections, each devoted to a particular theme. Each area of the Park celebrates a different part of the world. Guests explore the World Showcase to experience rides, foods, and cultures based on that part of the world.
One of the most famous areas of EPCOT includes the Frozen Ever After attraction, located in the Norway pavilion. Fairly recently, Walt Disney World added two more rides in EPCOT. Be sure to check out Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in France, which opened in 2021. The newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy : Cosmic Rewind in the World Discovery section, opened up this past May 2022.
EPCOT is no exception to Disney World festivals, parades, and events. There are plenty that pop up throughout the year. One EPCOT festival that is making a return in 2023 is the International Festival of the Arts.
This celebration is specifically for fine arts, such as the performing arts, culinary arts, and visual arts.
EPCOT cooks up some colorful, exotic treats to celebrate the culinary arts. The World Showcase will set up art galleries with artwork varying from paintings to sculptures and photography, all featuring talented artists from all over the world. Kids can participate in the fun with activities like painting!
Attendees can enjoy an extra magical musical lineup as well. Disney recently announced the performances in store for the Broadway Spectacular . Live entertainment starring performers from Disney Broadway shows such as Frozen, Aladdin, and The Lion King will take place at the America Gardens Theatre in EPCOT
In an unexpected turn of events, Disney Channel is set to cease all its broadcasts, effective this month.
The Walt Disney Company is undoubtedly one of the most important entertainment companies worldwide. The multi-million-dollar corporation owns Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios, in addition to Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Studios, making it easy to see why The Walt Disney Company is one of the most influential creators of entertainment content, from movies to documentaries, series, tv shows, and animation. In fact, Disney+ was changed forever by fans just months ago.
While Disney+ is slowly becoming Disney’s most important content output, with dozens of new series, shorts, movies, specials, documentaries, and so much more being released every month, many of us grew up watching the Disney Channel on TV. With shows like The Proud Family (2001-2005), Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004), The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-2008), Phineas and Ferb (2007-2015), Hannah Montana (2006-2011), That’s So Raven (2003-2007), Even Stevens (2000-2003), Kim Possible (2002-2007), and so many more, Disney Channel was undoubtedly an essential part of millions of fans’ childhoods.
Unfortunately, it has recently been reported that Disney Channel will cease all broadcasts in Russia starting on December 14, 2022. Per the report, Disney Channel will be replaced by a new children’s channel called “Solntse,” which means “sun” in Russian. The reason for this cease of operations was not stated in the report. The cancellation of the Disney Channel comes as The Walt Disney Company revealed eye-watering news about Disney+.
Earlier this year, The Walt Disney Company halted all Russian releases, condemning the “unprovoked invasion” of Ukraine, which perhaps played a role in the development of this decision. This halt included content and product licensing, but it was reported that some channels would take time to pause their operations due to contractual nuances.
Disney Channel was first approved to broadcast in Russia in 2010 and aired Disney shows, animations, and films.
Disney+, The Walt Disney Company’s streaming platform, is also currently unavailable in Russia, meaning Disney fans in this country will significantly struggle if they want to enjoy content released by the company.
In February 2020, Guests visiting Disneyland Park were treated to a brand-new parade called Magic Happens. The new show premiered on February 28, 2020, and featured fun music, gorgeous costumes, and floats representing hit Disney movies like Moana to classic tales like The Sword in the Stone. Unfortunately, just a couple of weeks after the show premiered, Disneyland Resort was forced to close its gates due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
The parade has remained backstage since the theme park reopened in April 2021, but Disney announced back in September at the D23 Expo that the Magic Happens parade would be coming back. And now we finally know when!
Calling all dreamers! ✨ The “Magic Happens” parade will return to @Disneyland on Feb. 24, 2023! This sensational daytime parade had a limited debut in 2020, so we can’t wait for you to see this unforgettable spectacle that celebrates magical moments from favorite Disney stories! pic.twitter.com/hiQnSkwlrt
Were you unable to make it to The Happiest Place on Earth during the few weeks the show was at Disneyland? Here’s more information on what you missed (but can soon enjoy).
As part of the Disney100 Celebration at Disneyland Resort, celebrate the return of this unforgettable spectacle that reminds us you don’t need wings to fly, shooting stars are for wishes and magic doesn’t end at midnight!
With a wave of his wand, Mickey Mouse leads a cavalcade of fabulous floats, whimsically costumed performers and popular Disney pals around the park and into your hearts—all while moving to a high-energy contemporary musical score that puts a spin on classic Disney hits. In addition, a stirring song co-composed by singer-songwriter Todrick Hall brings some of your favorite Disney tales to life like never before.
Watch Moana ride the crest of a beautiful wave in her voyager canoe, followed by Coco’s guitar-strumming Miguel joined by his dog Danté and other fantastical spirit animals and behold the enchanted forest from Frozen 2 as Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven pass by. The parade’s grand finale commemorates memorable moments from Disney classics in an incredible procession that’s not to be missed!
You can also watch the complete parade by clicking here or by watching the video below.
Magic Happens will be returning to Disneyland Resort as part of The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary celebration. The anniversary will kick off on January 27, 2023. Sleeping Beauty Castle will receive a festive makeover, there will be new food and beverage offerings, and there will be TWO new nighttime spectaculars — Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland Park and World of Color – One at Disney California Adventure Park.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort were being discontinued, and the rooms would be redesigned. The rooms fit in well with the laid-back tropical theme of the hotel, and the small details made the rooms truly immersive, but the rooms were not as popular as Disney had hoped — due to their higher price and their distance from the food and merchandise areas of Caribbean Beach.
Now we are getting a first look at the new rooms, and they don’t take Guests onboard a pirate ship. Instead, they take them under the sea! That’s right, the new rooms are themed after the hit Disney film The Little Mermaid.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort recently added some fin-tastic touches to guest rooms in the Trinidad area of the resort, and cast members were excited to be the first to “sea” them! These new 5th sleeper rooms accommodate more guests and feature special touches inspired by the timeless story “The Little Mermaid.” They are among the newest of the ongoing enhancements happening at our Resort hotels all around Walt Disney World! #DisneyCastLife 🦀 🌊 🌴
Haven’t stayed at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort before? Here’s more on the laid-back tropical paradise that transports you right to the islands, while being close to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Discover a world where life slows to a leisurely pace and worries melt away amidst Calypso rhythms. Awash with vibrant colors and lush landscapes, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort transports Guests to a relaxing paradise that captures the essence of 5 distinct islands: Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba. Celebrate the spirit of the Caribbean with blissful sights and fun-filled activities—including colonial forts, lively markets, pristine beaches, splashy florals and swaying hammocks—sure to awaken the imagination
At this time, we do not know when the new Little Mermaid rooms will be available for booking. The Walt Disney World Resort website allows bookings up through May 18, 2023, and the site has not updated the rooms, so it still says that the Pirate Rooms are unavailable.
Disney Dining will keep an eye out and let readers know when the Little Mermaid rooms open up for Guests.
