Is the Disney equivalent of Amazon Prime on the way?
The company is exploring launching a membership program that would offer discounts and perks to customers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Executives are reportedly referring to this project as "Disney Prime," echoing the name of Amazon's subscription service, though that won't be what it's actually called.
It wasn't clear what the price point for such a membership would be. But the hope is for it to "encourage customers to spend more on its streaming services, theme parks, resorts and merchandise," while also allowing Disney to gather more data on customers, the report says. "Ultimately, Disney's goal is to harness that data to make recommendations based on customers' preferences," the Journal adds.
This initiative comes as Disney considers new ways to boost revenue, and the Journal reports the company is working on using QR codes to direct Disney+ subscribers to its Shop Disney website and exploring selling merchandise exclusive to Disney+ subscribers, such as a toy of the "darksaber" from The Mandalorian. This new Disney+ merchandise feature would reportedly come "as soon as this year."
Kristina Schake, Disney chief communications officer, confirmed to Variety the company is "exploring how to better serve" fans "across our many touchpoints," adding that a "membership program is just one of the exciting ideas that is being explored." But no timeline for the project has been confirmed, and Variety says it's still in the "drawing-board stage."