Disney Now Lives By the Sub, Dies By the Sub

Bob Chapek
Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
Matthew Belloni
November 12, 2021

Well, now we know why Disney scheduled a big promotional stunt two days after its fourth quarter earnings reveal: C.E.O. Bob Chapek knew the Disney+ subscriber numbers would stink like Donald Duck’s diaper—he telegraphed as much in September—and with all those annual subscriptions up for renewal, tomorrow’s “Disney+ Day” was born. I trust you’ll be dressed appropriately and celebrating your toddler’s favorite Moana delivery app with the fanfare Chapek expects, paying no attention to the Disney stock slide of 7.4 percent since yesterday, down 20 percent from a March peak. Its market cap is now at $294.6 billion, about the same as Netflix.