Credit: Disney | OLNRight as Disney+ is cutting content like it’s razing a forest, an ex-Disney executive is launching a rival streaming service with a competitive design.
Ex-President of Disney Online Launching Streaming Rival
Once upon a time, Richard Wolpert was the president of Disney Online. Today, he is working towards launching a Disney+ rival streaming service called the Ocean Life Network (OLN). Initially, OLN plans to feature 30 shows. Ten of these are to be original productions. The rest are in partnership with “creators and influencers.”
Now, there is plenty of Disney+ competition on the market, but there’s something the ex-president of Disney online sees as an opportunity. Wolpert sets OLN apart from Disney in a very clear-cut manner. The rival platform has one prominent feature that Disney simply lacks in the era of a lousy economy.
Disney Rival Launches Free Streaming Service
Scheduled for a release on October 15, 2023, OLN plans to use the FAST model. Short for free, ad-supported streaming TV, it won’t cost users a dime. During the development process, Wolpert honed in on Junkin Media, a company he sold in 2021 for $100 million.
Another investment is in Canela Media, a FAST network with a significant Spanish audience. “My professional life has been mostly in the intersection of tech and media going back to the late eighties,” Wolpert said in an interview.
Age of Content Commerce
For some, it’s the “Age of Aquarius,” but for others, it’s the age of streaming competition. Content is a huge commodity, and Wolpert is cashing in (even without charging users). The success of the rival streaming service, OLN, is yet to be seen, but Wolpert plans to “have fun and provide great content.”
OLN won’t be the first FAST channel, with other big names, including Tubi and Pluto. Yet this approach is funded by Wolpert himself, creating an equity pool of 5% for content creators on top of the share of ad revenue.
To sum it up, the service is free and pays its creators based on success, yet it isn’t proven. On the other hand, Disney+ is established but also losing steam amidst its content reorganization. So which one will win?
What are your thoughts about the rival streaming service made by an ex-Disney president? Capitalism or cutthroat? Let Inside the Magic hear your take in the comments below!