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Parks & recreation: How the Disney machine works

Parks & recreation: How the Disney machine works

Disney is officially beating Netflix at their own game, as the media giant revealed on Wednesday that they’ve pushed past 221 million subscribers across their three streaming services — Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN — just nudging past Netflix's total.

Even with some of those subscribers paying less or being on bundled packages, that's an impressive stat that's grabbed headlines and contributed to Disney's share price jumping 10% in the last week.

A multi-trick pony

Disney's streaming prowess will really irk Netflix and other competitors because streaming remains only a tiny fraction of The Mouse's empire. Disney's "Direct-to-Consumer" business, which is where it counts its streaming revenues, brought in a little over $5bn in the latest quarter. Disney Parks — even just the US parks — brought in more than that, and that's a sector still recovering from the pandemic.

Even good old fashioned TV is big business. Disney's "Linear Networks", which include ABC, ESPN, National Geographic and the flagship Disney Channel, brought in more than $7bn in the last quarter.

Now that Disney's caught up in streaming, it's becoming increasingly apparent that their sprawling model is maybe the most desirable, even in 2022. Famous Disney characters are sold as toys and action figures, they're licensed into video games, put on t-shirts, stickers and books — and of course you can go and meet some of them in a Disney theme park. All of that means Disney is cashing in on its beloved IP in 4, 5 or 6 different ways — a machine that's very hard to replicate.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

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Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

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Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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