"Right now is the 'creative momentum.' Creators in Korea and Japan are achieving big results. In Latin America, they really like Korean drama. More than 65% of viewing time for Japanese animation is happening outside the Asia-Pacific region (APAC). Disney will continue to invest in local content."
ERIC SCHRIER, president of Disney Television Studios and global original television strategy, said this at the "Disney+ Original Preview 2025" event held in Hong Kong.
"Disney+ Original Preview 2025" is an event that gives the media an advance look at new titles set to be released on Disney+. About 400 journalists from the Asia-Pacific region, including Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, attended the event.
At the event, strategy institutional sector president Eric and CAROL CHOI, head of integrated marketing and original content strategy for the Asia-Pacific region at The Walt Disney Company, joined a talk session to assess the current state of Disney+ and discuss its future direction.
The two leaders cited "short form" as a global content trend. President Eric said, "As viewers' attention spans wane, 30-minute drama is emerging as a new trend," adding, "We are trying to keep run times as short as possible rather than 60- to 75-minute episodes." He continued, "A good story and great characters are especially important," underscoring the importance of story even in short-form formats.
Head Choi also said, "In the Asia-Pacific region, micro short-form videos such as vertical drama of about two minutes are trending," adding, "We are thinking about and testing how to apply these new trends to the overall Disney+ lineup."
The Disney+ leaders spoke with one voice that they will move forward on future "collaboration" based on trust. President Eric said, "In collaboration, trust between platforms, trust between directors, and trust between leaders and creators are the most important," adding, "Rather than trying to control areas like acting and directing that are beyond my capabilities, I will support them so they can succeed."
Head Choi said, "What sets Disney apart is that it has been doing business in many markets for a very long time," adding, "Through comprehensive collaboration with terrestrial TV, publishers, and agencies, we have the capability to discover IP in a variety of formats." She emphasized, "Going forward, we will uncover as many stories from the Asia-Pacific region as possible and present bigger and more spectacular works."