Topic: Disney Plus

A global outage at Amazon Web Services disrupts Snapchat, Disney Plus, Signal, McDonald's texting, and other services. The outage is framed as another reminder of the internet's dependence on a few American cloud companies, following the earlier CrowdStrike malfunction.

Fran Drescher's leadership of the Screen Actors Guild is characterized as a "union voice" fighting against greedy entities. However, the hosts suggest that actors and writers should stop relying on major studios like Disney and Amazon and instead use available technology to produce independent, low-budget content. They argue that the streaming math does not work for the studios, creating a gap that independent creators could fill.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) initiated a strike against major Hollywood studios, marking the first such action in 15 years. Writers are demanding better pay, mandatory staffing levels, and residuals for content sold to streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. Industry analysts suggest studios may have enough completed content to withstand a year-long work stoppage, while streaming services continue to struggle with profitability following the post-lockdown market shift.

NBC's "Pop Start" segment featured Adele discussing her new album after a six-year hiatus, which prompted an emotional reaction from the network's commentators. The network also promoted Peter Jackson's upcoming Beatles documentary, "Get Back," which is scheduled to premiere on Disney Plus. Critics noted the irony of NBC promoting content for a competing streaming service.

The comedy series Ted Lasso is discussed following a viewing of two episodes on an American Airlines flight. The conversation explores the corporate synergy between Apple and Disney, noting that Laurene Powell Jobs holds significant stock in Apple and a board seat at Disney. This connection is cited as the reason for ABC's promotion of the Apple Plus streaming product.

A producer donated $333, an amount equivalent to his annual savings from canceling streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus. The donor cited concerns over "subliminal messaging" and political agendas in mainstream entertainment. The segment highlights how listeners are increasingly viewing all news as either propaganda or advertising and choosing to support independent media instead.

A Disney+ documentary details Bob Iger's personal efforts to open Shanghai Disneyland and his emotional meetings with Xi Jinping. The analysis suggests Iger's resignation as CEO was timed to avoid the fallout of Disney's heavy dependence on the Chinese market.

The hosts predict a significant blowback against celebrities flaunting their lifestyles during lockdown. They analyze the shifting economics of the film industry, suggesting that the loss of theater concessions and the high bandwidth costs of streaming may hurt companies like Netflix despite increased viewership.

The hosts speculate on whether the sudden resignation of Bob Iger is related to the performance of the Disney Plus streaming service. While some suggest the platform's growth may be slowing after the initial trial period, Dvorak notes his family's satisfaction with the service, comparing it to Netflix and Hulu.