Disney Flexes
How Economics Created the World
Last weekend the Marvel Cinematic Universe drought ended and Black Widow came to theaters. For an MCU first, Disney simultaneously released it on a streaming service. I went for the streaming option, paying the $30 for access. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one.
Disney announced Black Widow made $60 million through streaming. In a normal year, that money at the theater would be a success for most movies. Not a Marvel movie, but a normal movie. But for Disney, this was a huge win.
Usually streaming services keep their viewership numbers secret. So why is Disney flexing? Because they want to prove their business model. Investors are skeptical about the straight-to-streaming model. But Black Widow just delivered major validation. Disney+ customers are paying monthly membership fees for access to the streaming service. In a few months, the movie will be available to those customers anyway. But 2 million of them were willing to pay an extra $30 to get early access. Disney wants investors to know that it has the audience and content to make the model work.
How Economics Created the World
One of my favorite parts of economics is seeing how it influences so many things around the world. Not just the global-level things like international trade, but down to the small things that we carry in our pockets every day. To highlight these stories, I’m starting a series called, “How Economics Created the World.”
The first story comes out today and is about the economics behind your keyboard. Now, you may have heard about the economics of QWERTY before, but I promise I present new information in this video. Plus, I had my 6 year-old son watch the video, and he said it was, “Really funny.” I don’t know what other recommendation you need!
Highest Paying Music Streaming Service
Speaking of streaming, I want you to guess which music streaming service pays artists the most. You've probably heard Spotify is awful. YouTube pays creators well relative to other platforms, but maybe it's not as great for music.
Think about it, then read this article. I was shocked.