New Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro says Disney+ is more than just a streaming service but a “digital centerpiece” for the company.
Disney+ as a “Digital Centerpiece”
He explained this phrase during Wednesday’s Q2 FY26 earnings call. “Digital centerpiece means Disney+ becomes the primary relationship between Disney and its fans, the place where everything comes together. Entertainment, sports, experiences — all that converges.”
He continued, “It’s less about a product. It’s more about how it’s a strategic posture, essentially.”
Shareholder Rich Greenfield at LightShed Partners asked if this implied a shift away from third-party licensing, to which D’Amaro said, “We’ve always distinguished between franchise IP and general entertainment. Franchise and branded IP stays on the platform. And then general entertainment, that library content can find audiences elsewhere, and that’s been working pretty well for us financially.”
He also addressed Disney’s partnership with Epic Games. “So Disney+ is the hub but the hub needs spokes,” he explained. “Epic gives us an interactive, gaming native environment to reach audiences that we don’t currently own. And by the way, particularly younger audiences. So think of this as acquisition and engagement, feeding the centerpiece, not necessarily competing with it.”
“The roadmap runs from near-term streaming optimization and content investment through medium-term interactivity,” he concluded. “Things like vertical video, personalized ESPN, the parks, AI work all the way to a longer term single point of contact with our fans that drives lifetime value across everything that we’re doing. The through line here is going to be the same. Own that fan relationship.”
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