Disney+ hunts for SG-based marketing and comms talent ahead of SEA debut

The Walt Disney Company has opened up several marketing and communications roles ahead of streaming platform Disney+’s debut in Southeast Asia. A quick check by Marketing on Disney’s careers page showed eight positions for listed for Disney+. These Singapore-based positions include:

• Disney+ graphics designer SEA
• Disney+, manager - subscription management
• Disney+, manager - partner engagement (SEA)
• Disney+, creative producer (SEA)
• Disney+, senior manager/manager - PR  and communications (SEA)
• Disney+, senior manager - creative communications (SEA)
• Disney+, senior manager/manager - social media (SEA)
• Disney+, director/senior manager - brand marketing and partnerships (SEA)

Marketing has reached out to Disney for additional information on its streaming platform’s strategy in SEA.

Earlier this month, Disney confirmed in a Facebook post that its Disney channels have been removed from Singtel and StarHub. While it did not publicly confirm Disney+’s launch in SEA markets, Disney said it continues efforts to make its content available in Singapore. Netizens were quick to speculate that streaming platform may hit the shores earlier than expected.

With more consumers working from home, streaming platforms are more in demand than ever. A report by streaming analytics firm Antenna, reported on Forbes, said the likes of Disney+ in the US have more than tripled in signups over a three-day window of 14 to 16 March 2020. This coincided with the school closures, and with companies moving to a work from home measure. Disney+ wasn’t alone in its spike. Premium streaming services HBO Now too saw a 90% gain in users. The figure is inclusive of free trials, active users as well as subscribers.

Meanwhile according to Antenna, Apple TV+ had a 10% rise in new subscribers on the week of 14 to 16 March 2020 compared to the week before, while Netflix saw a 47% increase in the number of subscribers in the US alone.

It is also no doubt that streaming services are flocking to Southeast Asia. Netflix has since been growing its local content in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to resonate with audiences and propel its subscriber growth here. In October last year, Netflix also rolled out its content strategies, clearly unfazed by the upcoming arrival of Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max. The streaming platform acknowledged that the new competitors have "some great titles" (especially catalogue titles), and said in a letter to shareholders that "none have the variety, diversity and quality of new original programming that [it is] producing around the world".

However, in Asia, these streaming platforms will have to compete with local OTT players Viu, iflix and more. During the pandemic, the economy was in a fix and ad budgets was one of the first areas to be impacted. Industry players Marketing spoke to said OTT platforms across Asia should not be reliant on subscription revenue alone, and should consider adopting an AVOD (Advertising Video On Demand) model as consumers are overwhelmed with subscriptions. In addition, content was another factor that will greatly make or break the business, the players added. 

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