Disney has major expansion plans, while Universal Orlando is currently building an all-new theme park.
One might think that the two theme park companies were in a heated competition of who could build the parks faster and better. While competition can lend itself to amazing content, what happens when one competitor may be indirectly funding the other?
The Orange County Register seems to think it’s possible. If we consider that Disney began the process of acquiring the remaining shares of Hulu from parent company Comcast late last year. For at least $8.61 billion, Disney will officially have full ownership of Hulu, likely sometime in 2024.
What is ironic about this buy out, is that Comcast owns NBC Universal. NBC Universal is the parent company of Universal theme parks. Therefore, one could joke that Disney is indirectly funding $8.6 billion to the new Epic Universe theme park!
Universal theme parks is a completely separate division of Comcast, but at a time when they’re spending massive amounts of capital to compete with Disney, how could some of the nearly $9 billion not be going to the theme parks?
However, even if some of the money that Disney is paying to acquire Hulu does go to the new, competing theme park, Disney may still have the upper hand. In Disney’s new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp. to launch a new sports streaming service, cable companies, such as Comcast, may feel severe effects.
While the theme parks are Disney’s highest generator of profits, streaming and a cable subscriptions can fund major theme park expansions in the long run.
Disney may be gifting Universal part of $9 billion currently, but the House of Mouse, is here for the long haul, which may be to their advantage. Disney has plans to spend $60 billion on theme park expansion with the majority being planned for the back half of the next 10 years. So that long game strategy may be to their benefit.
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Point 1 – Disney is not going to spend $60 million on their parks. When has Disney ever followed through on their promises? When are you going to learn?
Look at how fast Universal built Hagrid’s, The Velocacoaster, and most impressively, Epic Universe! It took Disney over 5 years to build the Tron Coaster. Even if Disney did actually try to spend the $60 million, I doubt that they are capable of pulling it off.