Why Disney+ Will Win the Streaming Wars
Nostalgia for old junk like ‘Zenon’ is a powerful thing
On Monday, Disney published a gargantuan Twitter thread listing nearly everything that’s coming to its new Disney+ service next month — from Bambi to Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and, uh, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. In doing so, the nostalgia manufacturer tipped its hand to show its most powerful card in the streaming wars: A library of movies and shows that you completely forgot about and, even if you won’t admit it, would probably watch again in between Star Wars or Marvel releases.
Companies like Netflix, NBC, and HBO are competing to create new content that users love, but they face an issue with their backlogs. In between huge tent poles like Stranger Things or Game of Thrones, these companies need something to keep people watching. One of the most lucrative (and expensive) ways to do that is to carry things people have already seen and want to rewatch over and over. It’s why HBO is willing to pay billions for Friends and The Big Bang Theory, while NBC moves to lock down The Office and Parks and Rec. The blockbusters might get people in the door, but the comfort food makes them stay.
As Scorsese might say, it’s not cinema. Yet, I must’ve watched “Camp Nowhere” dozens of…
