At least, that's what we used to call it when I was a kid; an end run - taking the football and running like heck around one tight end or the other, hoping to be so fast the the defense is taken by surprise. Anyway, that is what it kind of sounds like with the recent news that Disney will modify their web site, Disney.com, to offer content download and streaming: film, TV shows, games and other content.
The CEO, Bob Iger, stated that, "We believe we have the opportunity to deliver content directly to consumers through a proprietary platform," and that it will be, "a place to go to learn about all things Disney and to consumer our product directly."AdAgeDigital/Disney Relaunch
I find this fascinating, since this action will now put Disney in direct competition with some of their distribution partners such as Hulu, iTunes, Amazon and Netflix. It seems like Disney want to go straight to the consumer without any other clutter along the way. Mr. Iger said this was part of a healthy strategy - that the more pathways of distribution, the better. It will be interesting to see how the competitors feel about this.
But Disney has always been willing to test the waters of many new technologies or new methods. So kudos to them for taking such a bold step. I think it is a logical step - it just makes sense to have content available from the content producer. I kind of prefer it that way; for one, it offers a sense of security, that the content is the original, unaltered version originally created by the producer. It also streamlines the brand availability; when you want to get a Disney film, where would you turn? To Disney, of course; it just makes sense.
To me, it is no different that wanting an In-N-Out Double-Double - but going to the grocery store or some generic burger stand; if you want the real deal, you go to the place that makes it. This is how I see this news of Disney making its own content available on a revamped Disney.com. I look forward to seeing how this develops, how Hulu and Netflix and the like respond, if at all.