Disney+ EMEA signals spending surge—and an unscripted reset
Disney+ EMEA content chief Angela Jain said the service is poised to significantly increase content spending across EMEA and ramp up UK commissioning, with further announcements expected in the coming months. During a Series Mania keynote, Disney+ highlighted new pan-EMEA commissions including documentaries and scripted series from Spain, Italy, Turkey and the UK, alongside a stated push to expand unscripted commissioning to rebalance its recent scripted-heavy slate.
Key Takeaways
- Disney+ plans to significantly increase EMEA content investment, per EMEA content chief Angela Jain.
- UK commissioning is set to ramp, with additional greenlights expected in the coming months.
- Disney+ is broadening its mix with an explicit move to scale unscripted—faster-return formats—starting from a lower base.
- New pan-EMEA commissions highlighted include Spain doc series “Abandoned,” Italy drama “Murder on Lake Garda (w/t)” (a Hulu original for Disney+), and Turkey comedy “The Strange Story of Gustav Maier.”
- Jain signaled an openness to “surprise” pitches rather than a rigid local “shopping list,” implying flexibility in genre and format across territories.
Why It Matters
After a year where many streamers tightened belts, Disney+ signaling a bigger EMEA checkbook is a market-moving message for producers, rights holders, and competitors. The notable twist is the “unscripted rebalancing” rationale: unscripted can scale in volume, iterate quickly, and improve content ROI—useful as Disney pushes for steadier engagement without blockbuster budgets. Expect heightened competition for premium UK and pan-EMEA packages, plus more hybrid commissioning that leverages the Hulu/Disney+ pipeline. For the ecosystem, this is the new meme: growth isn’t dead—it’s just shifting from tentpoles to repeatable formats.
Read full article at broadcastnow.co.uk
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