Disney CEO Reports Disney+ Is a Four Quadrant Product with “Broad Interest”

The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger reports interest in streaming service Disney+ is proving "very, very broad" as a four quadrant product appealing to the four major demographics: males under 25, females under 25, males over 25 and females over 25. Iger reports Disney was "very pleased" with a practice launch in the Netherlands, where Disney tested its technology by giving consumers free access to a curated collection of its library content, without access to any of the original series launching alongside Disney+ Nov. 12 such as live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian or its live-action remake of animated classic Lady and the Tramp.

Disney is "very pleased" with the Netherlands launch, "including the technical soundness and reliability of the platform," Iger said Thursday during Disney's fourth quarter earnings call. "The user feedback has been extremely positive with praise for the elegance and ease of the interface and the quality of the overall experience."

According to Iger, consumers responded favorably to the ability to download content as well as the service's "brand-centric navigation," centered around five major brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. This navigation "generated an elegance and an ease of use that was well-received by users," Iger said.

Additionally, viewing patterns in the Netherlands were "encouraging."

"Even without access to our full library or any original content, the service connected with users across all four quadrants male and female, adults and kids, driven by the breadth of our content and the affinity people of all ages have for it," Iger said.

While the company was not "giving any specifics" regarding presales, Iger noted the previously announced $6.99 per month price point was "met with a great enthusiasm" by consumers, as was a limited time deal offering a three-year subscription at a discounted price.

"We're still relatively small in terms of the scope of things in terms of number of subscribers. But I think the best way for me to characterize it would be to say that we're enthusiastic about what we saw the consumer reaction to be," Iger said. "We certainly feel good about the product that's going into the marketplace next week and we'll know a lot more in just a few days. But it was good."

The Netherlands launch, Iger added, was "very, very positive."

"There were a few things, not just the fact that there was an enthusiasm for the service, but we had a good sense about how people were using it and what people were using it," Iger said. "The demographics were far broader than a lot of people expected them to be. This is well beyond kids and family, clearly. This is a four quadrant product, with adult men and women as well as kids families watching or using the service."

Disney also learned "people's interest in the product itself was very, very broad" across all brands, something Iger says bodes well for the future of Disney+. So far, popular features include the ability to stream movies in the 4K format, the ability to have four concurrent live streams, and personalization features such as customizable avatars. As revealed at the Disney+ unveiling event in April, subscribers can personalize their profiles with a wide range of Disney-owned characters from across multiple brand families.

Disney+ launches in the US Nov. 12.