Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Net Neutrality: Is This Really a Good Thing?


Disney's purchase of the film and television assets of 20th Century Fox is major news, and it comes at the same time that the FCC repeals net neutrality. Let's dig in and explore the long-term impact of these two major entertainment developments.

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Comments

  1. RossDecember 24, 2017 at 2:45 AM

    I've been a bit concerned about Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox just from seeing their increasing hold on movie theaters in recent years, from preventing various kinds of passes from being used on their big releases for the first couple weeks, to how aggressive they are with how many screens/showtimes their movies get.

    They've been playing it pretty safe with their yearly release slate also falling into a pattern of 2-3 Marvel movies, a couple animated movies (Pixar or otherwise), a Star Wars movie, a live action remake of one of their animated movies, and a Nature movie. They'll try a few other things a year (although they played it pretty safe this year) but the kind of stuff Fox Searchlight releases seem very out of place in Disney's current environment so I hope they're able to find a place for that kind of thing.

    Having said that, I also recognize that movie theaters would be struggling a lot more if not for Disney releasing highly successful movies that tend to be of a pretty good quality so it's not like they're buying up studios and churning out crap. There's almost a house-style feel to a lot of their stuff though and I hate to see this lead to a more homogeneous landscape.

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    Replies
    1. Heath HollandDecember 24, 2017 at 8:05 AM

      I’m torn about it because I recognize that Disney makes pretty consistently good stuff and I’ve been a big apologist for the company for years. However, lack of competition, lack of chances for actors and directors, and a more homogenized landscape (as you point out) are not what we need. I’m tired of Disney burying movies or sitting on them, controlling the theaters, using the vault as a reason to drive up scarcity and demand. And this is also just one step closer to a monopoly. The only real competition for Disney is Universal and Warner, but neither of those studios seem strong enough right now to really bring it to the mouse. I may do a video about how I’m mad at Disney for these reasons and for a lot more.

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