The Star Wars and Marvel franchises proved themselves to be pop culture juggernauts while on their own, but with both of them under the ownership of Disney, their popularity (and profits) have increased dramatically. Be it movies or TV shows, merchandise or theme park attractions, the House of Mouse has used its full resources (which are no doubt bigger than what’s available to certain countries) to make these franchises as successful as possible. That being said, most of us probably never pictured a world where Star Wars and Marvel each had their own cable networks, but that could be on the horizon.
When asked about what the chances are of Disney creating its own streaming service (via Daily Finance), Disney CEO Bob Iger commented that there might be something in the works for platforms solely dedicated to Star Wars and Marvel. In his words:
We have said that with these channels and these brands -- ESPN, ABC, Disney, maybe even down the road something related to Star Wars and Marvel -- we do have an ability as a company to take product, specifically filmed entertainment, television, movies, directly to consumers.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean something officially in the works. If this vague quote means anything, it’s that these ideas are likely in the conceptual stages. Nevertheless, the possibility of channels dedicated solely to Star Wars or Marvel alongside other Disney cable fare like ESPN and Disney Channel, is enough to make any geek excited, and they certainly wouldn’t be lacking for content.
Assuming Marvel Studios couldn’t show movies from other studios like X-Men or Fantastic Four, this currently leaves them with 11 movies, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Daredevil for their channel. This number will grow in the coming years with Ant-Man and their Phase Three slate, as well as other Netflix shows like A.K.A. Jessica Jones. As for Stars Wars, they currently have seven theatrical movies (including the 2008 Clone Wars movie), and several animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Their movie list will also be growing starting with main entries like December’s The Force Awakens and Anthology films like 2016’s Rogue One. So while there may be repeats eventually, these respective would be able to fill 24 hours during the day.
Judging by Iger’s comments, it sounds like these potential channels would showcase existing material rather than be dedicated to original programming, which could be both a good and bad thing. On the one hand, featuring original series or TV movies unique to these channels would be a great way to expand these respective worlds by focusing on lesser-known characters. On the other hand, both these franchises have huge audiences already, so it’s not like they would be hurting to find viewers. Plus, if they’re trying to draw in new fans to these franchises as a whole, it’s better to use channels that are more widely watched or easily accessible.
What do you think? Would you like to have channels based around Marvel and Star Wars to turn on while you’re switching around on the TV, or do these franchises not have enough to offer to constitute their own channels? Let us know in the comments below!
