Could D23's Disney+ Schedule Be A Sign Of Things To Come?

Two years ago I was sitting in one of the front few rows of the Honda Center (don't ask me how I scored that) for the Disney Experiences Showcase. Even before it officially began I was wowed by what The Walt Disney Company had put together.

We got an impromptu performance by the Mad T Party Band before the show even kicked off, it's first (and only) performance in years. Then when the show began there was a full orchestra on stage to accompany the reveals. The show would go from a major announcement to a musical performance by a significant name to another announcement with a surprise celebrity to a dancing Deadpool and more. While the purpose of the event was ostensibly "news" about Disney Parks, this was a "show" like only Disney can put on. I kept having the same thought over and over as it went on.

"How is this not being streamed on Disney+?"

Last Year's Experiences Showcase Felt Like It Was Meant For Disney+

The Experiences Showcase in 2024 performed to a full Honda Center, just like thousands of other major live events that you can't watch on your TV, but considering just how "big" it all was, it felt like it was meant for more than just us. While the star power was bigger the next day at the Disney Legends ceremony, which was streamed on Disney+, the production value of the Experiences Showcase was at least as good, if not better, than the Legends ceremony.

So honestly, the announcement on Monday morning that the Disney Experiences Showcase would be streamed live on Disney+, alongside a small number of other events, didn't shock me. If anything I'm surprised the news came as late as it did.

Certainly, not everything happening at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, is being live streamed. Only a small portion of events are, and one major item, the Entertainment Showcase, is conspicuously absent. Still, I can't help but wonder if this isn't something of a harbinger of things to come.

Could Disney Go The Way Of The Video Game Industry?

There isn't much of anything like a D23 Disney Experiences Showcase, but one thing that used to be like it was when the major video game platforms would do "keynote" addresses at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. When these happened an executive would take a stage in a significantly sized theater and industry people and fans would be treated to a rollout of all the new games coming to whatever console was being given the spotlight.

Fans would cheer. Investors and industry professionals would see dollar signs.

E3 died a painful death, largely due to the global pandemic, and so did those major stage shows, but even before that happened the writing was on the wall. Nintendo had stopped doing the whole song and dance years before, in favor of what they called the "Nintendo Direct" which were prerecorded presentations that were released on YouTube, mostly for the fans.

Now presentations to YouTube or other streamers, live or prerecorded, are the industry standard in the world of video games, and I wonder if Josh D'Amaro, who has certainly been paying attention to the world of video games of late, might have learned something.

Now that the Experiences showcase has been set to stream live, it seems unlikely that if and when it happens again in two years, it won't be streamed live. The precedent has been set. Which leads to the question, why should Disney continue to invest in a major arena show when it could accomplish the same thing, with arguably higher production value, for a lot less money, by just going straight online?

Apple has largely gone the same way with its big reveal events, as have other tech companies, with small events that either have no audience, or have an audience of media and industry people. And while Disney isn't a tech company, that doesn't mean Disney doesn't see itself as part of that club.

Going Online Makes A Lot of (Dollars And) Sense

Rather than doing a major reveal in public every couple of years, Disney Experiences could do multiple events, live or recorded, smaller in scale, but each with a specific focus. Even if the decision was to do large scale events similar to the Experience Showcase, doing them as prerecorded events on Disney+ would allow Disney to potentially make the events even bigger, by not being limited to what can be done in front of an audience, while likely still being able to do them for considerably less cost. Celebrities aren't usually cheap.

Josh D'Amaro has already made it clear that he sees Disney+ as far more than a streaming platform. He wants it to be the gateway to all things Disney, and one way to do that would be for Disney+ to be home to exclusive events like updates on Disney Parks. As much as I'm sure Disney loves the money it makes from The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, they can only sell so many tickets, damn fire codes, but the potential for Disney+ subscriptions around the world is (almost) limitless.

And it's potentially a better value for Disney fans too. Two years ago I had a great seat to see all the stuff on stage up close, but this year I expect to be in the nosebleed seats, and there's an argument to be made that my couch would be a much better seat for the show than the one I, and a lot of other people, will have at the Honda Center this year.

What Will The Future Hold For Disney Parks Announcements?

That's not to say that D23: the Ultimate Disney Fan Event is going away. I would expect it, or something like it, to continue (if it didn't have such a long name going forward, that would be great). But right now the events at the Honda Center are some of the big draws of the event, and that may no longer be the case going forward if Disney Parks events shift to an online/streaming platform.

I can imagine that the powers that be at Disney will be watching the streaming numbers on Saturday night to see just how many people tune in. If the broadcast is a big draw, as I expect it will be, I won't be shocked to see more things like it in the future.