‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Pique Most Interest Ahead of Disney Plus Launch, Report Says (EXCLUSIVE)
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“The Simpsons” and “Star Wars Rebels” are the most hotly anticipated of the existing series that will be on Disney Plus in the U.S. and the first foreign countries where the service will roll out, according to new research.
Parrot Analytics measures demand for content by capturing billions of data points from a variety of sources, tracing interactions it refers to as “demand expressions” from the likes of social media, video streaming, photo sharing, blogging, fan and critic ratings, and file sharing. It combines these into a single, country-specific measure of audience demand.
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Running the numbers for the pre-existing titles that Disney has said its new platform will offer has produced two clear winners: long-running animated series “The Simpsons,” which belongs to the Mouse following its acquisition of Fox assets, and the “Star Wars Rebels” animated show. The analysis covers Australia and New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the U.S. and Canada – the first countries where Disney Plus will roll out.
The service will carry Disney, Pixar, Nat Geo, Marvel, and “Star Wars” content. The entertainment giant announced a slew of original titles for the OTT platform earlier this year, including live-action “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” a “High School Musical” series, and such films as “Lady and the Tramp.” These were not included in the Parrot analysis.
Besides “The Simpsons” and “Star Wars Rebels,” both “Mickey Mouse Club” and “DuckTales” figure prominently, although there are some variations by region.
The subscription service rolls out in the U.S. on Nov. 12 priced at $6.99 per month. It launches in Canada and the Netherlands on the same date and in Australasia a week later. A live trial launched in the Netherlands this week.
Parrot Analytics said that, in both the the U.S. and Canada, the Top 5 list runs as follows: “The Simpsons,” “Star Wars Rebels,” “Mickey Mouse Club,” “DuckTales,” and “Andi Mack.” The rundown is the same in Australia and New Zealand, with the exception of Nat Geo unscripted show “Wicked Tuna” in the fifth spot.
In the Netherlands, the top five are “The Simpsons,” “Star Wars Rebels,” “Duck Tales,” “The Mickey Mouse Club” and Nat Geo’s “The Incredible Dr. Pol.”
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