Disney+ Experimenting with Different Release Strategies for ‘Loki’ Season 2, ‘Hawkeye’ Spin-Off ‘Echo’
More and more often these days, Disney+ finds itself in a position in which it must borrow strategies from other streaming platforms. The service has done plenty of appropriating from HBO Max lately in terms of tactics meant to turn around the company’s streaming segment, curbing losses, and setting it on a path toward profitability.
Now, it appears Disney is turning to Netflix for its latest source of inspiration. At its 2023 Upfronts presentation, Disney revealed the release date for two future Marvel series coming to Disney+. “Loki” will see its second season premiere on Oct. 6, and will release one episode per week, just as the first season of the show did. But “Echo,” which will debut on Nov. 29, will depart from the weekly strategy in favor of a binge release, meaning all episodes will be available to stream when the season premieres.
“Echo” is a spin-off of the 2021 Marvel series “Hawkeye” and stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, a deaf Native American superhero who can imitate the fighting style of any foe she meets. She initially found herself in the employ of the dastardly Kingpin, but when she learns more about who Wilson Fisk really is, she starts to question her role in his criminal empire.
A source of much debate in the industry for years, the binge-release model does have its advantages. For one, it draws younger viewers in at a high rate; a survey from April indicates that 40% of audiences aged 18 to 44 prefer to binge watch new shows, as compared to just 13% who say they’d rather see one episode per week. Since younger demographics are more likely to stream video on a service like Disney+ in general, this is an audience segment that Disney would very much like to keep loyal to its service.
That loyalty may be easier desired than achieved, however. The same April survey showed that 40% of viewers in this age group who binge-watch a series cancel their service after they’re done watching, either occasionally or every time they complete an anticipated series. This behavior is called “cycling,” and nearly 70% of all streaming customers say they’re considering doing it at some point in 2023.
There could be myriad reasons for Disney’s decision to give “Echo” a binge release. It may already be anticipating that the series will be a huge draw, and demand will be so great that a binge release makes the most sense. The timing of the release could also be a factor; Disney+ might want to give users a new Marvel show they can watch in its entirety during the holidays — especially given the holiday theme of its predecessor “Hawkeye.”
The fact that Disney only unveiled two new Marvel series at its Upfronts presentation shows it is making good on its pledge to reduce the amount of MCU TV shows it produced going forward. In contrast to previous years in which Disney+ seemingly released a new Marvel show every couple of months, the company has said it is putting a bigger emphasis on quality versus quantity for its streaming-exclusive Marvel titles. The only other Marvel TV show with a confirmed 2023 release date on Disney+ is “Secret Wars,” which debuts on June 21.
Disney saw its financial losses from its streaming arm shrink a bit in the last quarter, but its streamers are still losing the company hundreds of millions of dollars per quarter. Disney will likely do anything it can to mitigate those losses, and if it sees good metrics and limited cycling after binge-releasing the first season of “Echo,” it may start to release other series using the same model.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”