Disney unviels new portal play, video downloading

Filed in archive Internet TV on January 10, 2007

For a little while there have been stories about Disney internal politics over who and how might revamp their web site. I did not relay them hear because it was more rumor and less fact. Well, down at the CES, Bob Iger, president/CEO of Walt Disney Co., gave us some details.

He said the new Disney.com will allow users to personalize content--including sharing of videos, TV shows, and other Disney video content as well as listening to music, and playing video games. And apparently there is a new Disney Xtreme Digital area where users can access premium content such as the upcoming pirates of the caribbean video game set to launch in 2007.

Iger also said that Disney.com is the top ranked site among kids and families with almost 25 million unique visitors a month.

Disney has had to do something like this. Social networking is all the rage and Disney has been left behind. MySpace has been increasingly getting into Disney's kids' demographic business.

But we should not write off Disney as a new media incompetent. Remember, they are the ones who kick started the major broadcast networks into online video distribution with their iPod video downloads and streaming of hit ABC shows.