In 2019, Disney+ declared war on Netflix. They stole Marvel. Snatched Star Wars. Took Pixar. And left Netflix bleeding. But Netflix didn’t just survive… They rewrote the playbook. Here’s how they turned the tables: 🧵
For years, Netflix ruled the streaming world. Hits like Stranger Things, The Crown, and House of Cards made it the go-to platform. No competition. No threat. Just dominance. Until 2017— When Disney dropped a bomb that would change everything.
In 2017, Disney said they were ending their deal with Netflix. It wasn’t just a few movies leaving- It was everything. Marvel. Star Wars. Pixar. All going away. For Netflix, this was a huge blow. The stakes had never been higher.
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In November 2019, Disney+ officially launched. A vault of 500+ movies and 7,500 TV episodes— All for just $6.99/month. Less than half of Netflix’s price. Day one? 10 million subscribers. Netflix had to respond-Or risk losing everything.
Netflix’s response was nothing short of brilliant. Instead of chasing Disney’s family-friendly empire of beloved franchises… They did something else. Three game-changing moves. And the first one? It transformed the entire streaming industry forever.
1. Original Content Netflix stopped depending on others— and started making its own shows. In 2019, they released 371 original titles. Not random. The plan was clear: Make something for every audience. Every genre. Every age. Every country.
2. Going Global While Disney focused on American classics… Netflix looked everywhere. They made global hits like: • Money Heist (Spain) • Kingdom (Korea) • Dark (Germany) By 2020, 60% of Netflix’s audience was international. That move made Netflix a worldwide powerhouse.
3. Tech Moves Netflix didn’t just stream shows— They used tech to stand out. Their algorithm made Netflix feel personal for every user. Then came Bandersnatch— A show you could control. Streaming had just leveled up. And the race got serious.
Disney made a strong move— They bundled Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ together. But Netflix hit back. They brought in big names: • Shonda Rhimes → Bridgerton • Ryan Murphy → Ratched • Martin Scorsese → The Irishman The streaming war was heating up.
Disney+ won hearts with The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. Netflix answered with Tiger King-a quarantine craze. It wasn’t just content anymore- It was about owning the culture. Even their release styles clashed: Netflix = binge. Disney+ = weekly hype.
Netflix gave us instant bingeing. Disney+ gave us weekly hype. By end of 2020: • Disney+ had 86M users • Netflix led with 200M+ The streaming war sparked a content boom— More shows, more choice, better for everyone.
Netflix didn’t just make great shows They built smart systems behind the scenes. • Standardized content creation • Maintained quality at scale • Stayed compliant worldwide That’s the real lesson: To scale, you need better processes, not just more people.
The battle between Netflix and Disney+ wasn’t just about shows. It was about strategy, systems, and smart execution. Lesson? - Know your edge. - Build strong processes. - Play the long game.
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