Disney+ Will Never Make As Much Original Content As Netflix

Ever since Disney+ erupted onto the scene with 10 million subscribers in a single day, the streaming service became known as the biggest rival and greatest threat to the industry’s current streaming leader, Netflix. That makes sense from a popularity standpoint, but when you really look at the services themselves, they couldn’t be more different. Netflix churns out original content so often that shows actually get cancelled without users even knowing that they exist. Meanwhile, Disney+ only has a handful of originals, and users have been begging for something else to watch since The Mandalorian concluded its first season in December.

Disney’s approach to original content is the exact opposite of Netflix’s. Does that mean that Disney+ will never reach the heights of Netflix? Not at all, at least, not according to Disney CEO Bob Iger. During Tuesday’s quarterly earnings call, Iger revealed that more than 28 million people have already signed up for Disney+, and that the company’s quality-over-quantity approach to originals is what sets it apart from the rest of the pack.

“Clearly, the original shows that we decided to invest in, led by The Mandalorian, have worked,” Iger said. “We knew when we launched that we were launching with a modest amount of original programming and that it would build over time. So as we look ahead, we’re really comfortable with volume … I think the best thing about it all is that the decision that we made to go with quality and not just volume is working.”

In other words, it doesn’t matter to Disney how much content Netflix is able to churn out. It only took a few weeks for The Mandalorian to become the most popular streaming show in the United States. The House of Mouse clearly expects the Marvel Studios projects like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to have the same effect. Rather than releasing a dozen original shows in a given month, Disney+ is happy to put a dozen TV budgets into one blockbuster series and have it be the most talked-about program on the air.

There are all kinds of different streaming services out there, and signing up for all of them just isn’t reasonable. Iger and the folks at Disney trust that users will continue to subscribe to their product because, in their eyes, it’s simply better than everyone else’s.

“There’s obviously more competition coming into the space,” Iger told his investors, “but there isn’t any competition that is like ours.”