Netflix & Disney: The 2 giants of entertainment are borrowing strategies from each other in the battle for attention

6/15/21 8:00PM

Disney wants to be more like Netflix...

‍For the last 3 or 4 years the biggest story in the world of entertainment has been streaming. The old guard of media stood and watched as Netflix's market cap soared past $50bn, $100bn and $200bn in just a few short years.

That rise prompted the rush to streaming. Disney, the global media giant, announced in 2017 they would pull their content from Netflix's platform and build their own (Disney+) — which now boasts more than 100 million subscribers. So in one way, it's easy to frame the last few years as "everyone wants to copy Netflix" but, increasingly, it feels like the other way around.

‍**...and Netflix wants to be more like Disney**

‍‍Disney gets phenomenal use out of its brands. Famous Disney characters are sold as action figures and toys, they are put on t-shirts and clothing and stickers and books — and of course you can go and meet them in a Disney theme park.

So it was interesting that this week Netflix announced Netflix.shop — the first e-commerce site that will sell official merchandise and apparel related to Netflix original shows and characters. The starting selection is fairly sparse, with some apparel related to anime shows Yasuke and Eden and some items related to hit French crime show Lupin — but over time the collection is expected to expand significantly.

‍The Netflix theme park?

‍Selling merchandise online is a step, albeit a small one, towards replicating the sprawling empire of Disney. In theory, Netflix's plan could be to eventually go after physical spaces or experiences, such as theme parks — which (in normal times) are an absolute behemoth of a business in their own right for Disney.

Max Knoblauch17h

Paramount reportedly receives $24 billion from Gulf funds to back its Warner Bros. takeover

Three Middle East sovereign wealth funds have agreed to back Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery to the tune of roughly $24 billion, according to Wall Street Journal reporting.

The company’s triumph over Netflix in the bidding war came thanks in part to financial backing from Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, billionaire father of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which last year led the $55 billion deal to take Electronic Arts private, will provide about $10 billion in the deal. The Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi’s L’imad Holding Co. is also involved.

According to the WSJ, the funds will not receive voting rights in the combined Paramount-Warner company. Those working on the deal don’t expect the Gulf funds’ involvement to spark any additional regulatory reviews.

Exclusive | Gulf Funds Agree to Back Paramount’s $81 Billion Takeover of Warner

The company’s triumph over Netflix in the bidding war came thanks in part to financial backing from Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, billionaire father of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Hyunsoo Rim

appy birthday

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Apple is turning 50 today and it doesn’t look a thing like its younger self

From Macs to iPods, iPhones, and now services, here’s how Apple’s business has looked every 10 years.

The entrance of Allbirds seen from Hayes St. in San Francisco, Calif.

Allbirds, the once buzzy multibillion-dollar sneaker startup, is selling up for $39 million

That’s less than 1% of its peak market cap about four years ago.

Tom Jones3/31/26

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.