We are down to the top story of the year! I would imagine many were guessing Disney+ would be the biggest event in 2019 for Disney. It was heavily hinted at before the year began and exploded out of the gate.
Yet, it didn’t really gain momentum until it got closer to the launch. Some of that was because of how much was unknown about how the streaming service would work and what would be on it. The acquisition of Fox (Re: the Disney decade post for today) is what brought some hints and content available to the forefront. Iger had said that partly why Fox was acquired was to bolster the Disney+ library, and in particular The Simpsons series and thirty plus seasons were to bring more content to homes.
Another helpful hint came with Star Wars Celebration in April. There was a whole panel dedicated to The Mandalorian. This much-anticipated show blew the audience away with a western-like Star Wars show that would only be on the streaming platform. Besides this, it was announced other Star Wars shows would be made available like a pre-Rogue One show.
Marvel got in the act with frequent announcements throughout the year of Marvel Studios series which would only be available on the platform and continue the stories of heroes from Avengers: Endgame. New to the MCU characters would have their own shows coming, like Moon Knight.
It wasn’t until around the summer that more of the rest of the content was made known. The D23 Expo brought a lot of news about what would come to the platform. A whole stage was made to showcase various programs available. Stars even came by, like Jeff Goldblum, to advertise and talk about their shows. A special presentation was held to show off the original content that would be delivered to the platform. A special promotion at the Expo let people subscribe to three years at a highly discounted price. And many took Disney up on the promotion. This was becoming more and more popular.
In the weeks leading up to the premiere, lists of content that would be available hit several news sites, social media, and even Disney sites. Fans took notice of the huge Disney back library that would be available. Now high anticipation set in. It was possible to relive childhoods with Disney Channel shows and several classic shorts. This was a hit before it even began.
On the eve of its release date, many were able to log in and begin watching. By the next day, it all resulted in a crash to the service, which meant many were all logged in at once (perhaps calling in sick to work). Disney had since said that there were thousands of subscribers each week. Disney+ is an instant hit, and though not the first in streaming services, it is a revolutionary platform for media. It became the number one trending search on Google for the year.
But, perhaps this search was to find a lot of “Baby Yoda.” His current name being The Child, the character is featured in The Mandalorian and has taken at least the country by storm. Parodies have been done already within a month of his first appearance. Memes are constantly on Twitter. This kid is popular. And it is all thanks to Disney+. So, as much as the top story could be Baby Yoda, it still actually pales to Disney+. When that is the most searched term of the year it is something that permeated the nation in 2019.
Well, what do you think? Is this really the top story? Do you have a different list? Let us know in the comments below. And check out some of our coverage of Disney Plus this last year:
Disney+ Subscriber Forecast Changed After Verizon Announcement
The Mandalorian Returns for Season Two in Fall 2020
