Everything you need to know about the Disney Investor Day 2020 livestream
From Black Widow's new release date to a third season of The Mandalorian, this is where audiences should pay attention to the future of Disney.
December 10 is a big day for the House of Mouse. The Walt Disney Company will hold its Investor Day 2020, a virtual presentation that is bound to reveal big news about the company's slate of anticipated and delayed films, such as Marvel's Black Widow and the future of Star Wars.
While the intended audience is Disney's financial investors (which include big banks and investments firms like Vanguard and Morgan Stanley), fans of franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe may also want to pay attention as Disney might reveal when, and how, they'll get to watch more Marvel movies again. Especially since, for the first time in recent memory, Disney is offering up a livestream of the proceedings as investors won't be able to attend in person.
Here's where and when to stream Disney's 2020 Investor Day presentation — and why even "normal" people without shares of Disney stock should pay attention.
Where can I stream Disney's Investor Day 2020?
To stream the webcast of Disney's Investor Day 2020, simply visit this link on Disney's corporate homepage later today.
What time will Disney's Investor Day presentation start?
The presentation is expected to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 PT. But Disney advises that those who want to tune in to the presentation should visit the page "up to one hour" before the presentation begins to test your connection.
From Disney's last Investor Day, held in April 2019 and acted as a preview of Disney+.
Why is Disney's Investor Day a big deal?
In truth, you probably don't have to pay attention to Disney's Investor Day presentation. Unless you are financially invested in Disney and need to know the state of the company for your own portfolio, today is a normal Thursday.
Unlike a flashy presentation at a convention, these calls mostly deal with things like revenue and performance for Disney's many enterprises, like Hulu and ESPN, and expansion in international markets like Latin America and India. It really isn't a place for fans, it's a place for people with money to know how much more money they're making.
But it's in Disney's calls to its investors where the company often makes big announcements related to its consumer business, which means how you (yes, you) get to enjoy Disney media like movies, TV, and theme parks. Listening to these investor calls is how you'll get to hear about them first, instead of through your Facebook feed. For example: The summer's "Premier Access" release of Mulan on Disney+ was announced in its August Q3 earnings call to investors. That announcement set expectations for investor calls afterward, as it became a time and place for more than just Disney's investors to glimpse the immediate future of Disney.
In the last quarterly earnings call held in November, Disney CEO Bob Chapek made December 10 a day to circle on the calendar. That's when Chapek revealed Investor Day 2020, a day intended to map out what's to come from Disney in 2021 — which, again, can mean the method of release for delayed Marvel movies like Black Widow.
'WandaVision,' the first Marvel series exclusive to Disney+, will begin streaming on January 15, 2021.
What should I really expect from Disney's Investor Day?
While the 2020 Investor Day is bound to have news, it would be wise to temper expectations: This is not a flashy reveal like something out of Comic-Con. There will be plenty of focus on Disney's actual businesses, including everything from the ABC network to Disney's theme parks (and how Covid-19 continues to impact it). The Verge's Julia Alexander predicted in a newsletter a lot of focus on Disney's first year of streaming, ranging from the expansion of Disney+ in international markets to the future of Hulu and ESPN. Expect Disney to tout an impressive number of subscribers to Disney+, all thanks to the success of The Mandalorian.
That's not to say there won't be some interesting stuff at all. The subject of film distribution in 2021 will be a huge talking point, as predicted by Observer's Brandon Katz. While Disney was reportedly pleased with how Mulan turned out, it remains to be seen if Disney is committed to "Premier Access" for other movies, or if Disney will consider a release similar to WarnerMedia's controversial pursuit of a simultaneous release both theatrically and on HBO Max.
Really exciting things like new trailers and footage of WandaVision is unlikely. And even if there are, that material will be blacked out from the webcast if you are not a verified investor or member of the press.
A third season announcement of The Mandalorian, however, should be a surprise to no one.
'The Mandalorian' has been a huge hit for the Disney+ streaming platform. Expect plenty of praise for the ongoing series during Disney's 2020 Investor Day presentation.
Did Disney do Investor Days before?
Yes. In 2019 Disney held a similar presentation (conducted live in-person) on April 11, 2019. It was a big presentation as it previewed the content of Disney+, which launched a few months later in November. Before that, there hasn't really been a formalized "Investor Day" every December, which marks this 2020 Investor Day as a kind of anomaly and maybe the first in a new tradition.
Disney Investor Day 2020 will begin at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on December 10.
