VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS & COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES ★
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Sunday, December 28, 2025
The Walt Disney Company
DIS · New York Stock Exchange
Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.
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Overview
Disney's profit pools are Experiences (theme parks, resorts, cruises and consumer products), Entertainment (streaming, linear networks, and studio/licensing) and Sports (ESPN). The core moat is durable intellectual property and trusted brands that can be monetized across multiple channels, reinforced by heavy, long-lived investment in physical destinations. Experiences contributes a disproportionate share of operating profit, reflecting pricing power and scale economics. Entertainment and Sports are moat-supported by content and rights, but face ongoing negotiation and renewal risk (carriage and sports rights) and intense competition in streaming.
Primary segment
Entertainment (Streaming, Linear Networks, Studio & Licensing)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Market share
—
HHI: —
Coverage
3 segments · 5 tags
Updated 2025-12-27
Segments
Entertainment (Streaming, Linear Networks, Studio & Licensing)
Global video entertainment content and distribution (streaming, TV networks, film/TV studios)
Revenue
44.1%
Structure
Oligopoly
Pricing
moderate
Share
—
Peers
Sports (ESPN and sports content)
Sports media rights and sports broadcasting/streaming
Revenue
18.4%
Structure
Oligopoly
Pricing
moderate
Share
—
Peers
Experiences (Theme parks, resorts, cruises, consumer products)
Theme parks, destination resorts and experiential entertainment
Revenue
37.5%
Structure
Oligopoly
Pricing
strong
Share
—
Peers
Moat Claims
Entertainment (Streaming, Linear Networks, Studio & Licensing)
Global video entertainment content and distribution (streaming, TV networks, film/TV studios)
Revenue_share and operating_profit_share are computed from FY2025 segment revenues and segment operating income disclosed in Disney's FY2025 Q4 earnings release (SEC Exhibit 99.1). Denominator uses the sum of segment revenues (pre-eliminations) and sum of segment operating income.
Content Rights Currency
Legal
Content Rights Currency
Strength: 5/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 2 evidence
Control of valuable IP (films/TV, characters, brands) underpins monetization across streaming, licensing and theatrical windows.
Erosion risks
- Copyright expirations for early works/character versions
- Franchise fatigue
- Rising content costs
Leading indicators
- Franchise-level content ROI (box office + streaming engagement)
- Licensing revenue trend
- Share of viewing hours for Disney brands
Counterarguments
- Competitors can outspend on content and talent
- Streaming multi-homing keeps switching costs low
Suite Bundling
Demand
Suite Bundling
Strength: 3/5 · Durability: medium · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Bundling Disney+ and Hulu (and optionally ESPN plans) supports acquisition/retention vs. standalone services.
Erosion risks
- Competitors mimic bundling strategies
- Bundle complexity increases churn/CS costs
Leading indicators
- Bundle penetration rate
- DTC churn rate
- DTC ARPU vs. price changes
Counterarguments
- Bundles are easy to replicate by rivals or aggregators
- Consumers frequently cancel/reactivate streaming subscriptions
Brand Trust
Demand
Brand Trust
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Household brands/franchises are foregrounded in the Disney+ product experience, supporting differentiation and demand.
Erosion risks
- Brand dilution from inconsistent content quality
- Reputational shocks
Leading indicators
- Brand-specific subscriber acquisition efficiency
- Net promoter score / satisfaction metrics
Counterarguments
- Brand matters less when consumers subscribe for a single hit and then churn
- User experience and recommendation algorithms can outweigh brand
Sports (ESPN and sports content)
Sports media rights and sports broadcasting/streaming
Revenue_share and operating_profit_share are computed from FY2025 segment revenues and segment operating income disclosed in Disney's FY2025 Q4 earnings release (SEC Exhibit 99.1).
Content Rights Currency
Legal
Content Rights Currency
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: medium · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Long-term, exclusive/near-exclusive sports rights are a key input and differentiator for ESPN platforms.
Erosion risks
- Sports rights inflation outpaces affiliate/ad growth
- Leagues shift rights directly to streaming platforms
- Regulatory/antitrust scrutiny of bundling/packaging
Leading indicators
- Cost growth of sports rights vs. Sports segment operating income
- Renewal outcomes for major league rights
- Affiliate fee trajectory and distributor churn
Counterarguments
- Rights are rented (time-limited) rather than owned; renewal terms can reset economics
- Tech platforms can bid aggressively for marquee packages
Procurement Inertia
Demand
Procurement Inertia
Strength: 3/5 · Durability: medium · Confidence: 3/5 · 1 evidence
Carriage relationships and embedded distribution in bundles create inertia, but blackouts and cord-cutting show limits.
Erosion risks
- Accelerating cord-cutting and migration to skinny bundles
- Distributor consolidation increases bargaining power
Leading indicators
- Share of Sports revenue from DTC vs. MVPD affiliate fees
- Frequency/duration of carriage disputes
Counterarguments
- Distributors can and do drop channels; negotiating leverage is not unilateral
- Consumers increasingly follow leagues/teams rather than a single network brand
Experiences (Theme parks, resorts, cruises, consumer products)
Theme parks, destination resorts and experiential entertainment
Revenue_share and operating_profit_share are computed from FY2025 segment revenues and segment operating income disclosed in Disney's FY2025 Q4 earnings release (SEC Exhibit 99.1).
Capex Knowhow Scale
Supply
Capex Knowhow Scale
Strength: 5/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Multi-billion-dollar annual investment and decades of operating/creative know-how create barriers to replicating Disney's destination scale (parks + cruise expansion).
Erosion risks
- Macro downturn reduces discretionary travel
- Rivals (e.g., Universal) invest heavily
- Political/regulatory constraints on development
Leading indicators
- Capex pipeline for new attractions/cruise ships
- Attendance and per-capita spending
- Hotel occupancy and pricing
Counterarguments
- High fixed costs make returns cyclical
- Competitors can build new parks/lands with enough capital
Ecosystem Complements
Network
Ecosystem Complements
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Experiences are tightly linked to Disney's franchise ecosystem; IP-based lands/attractions reinforce engagement and merchandise.
Erosion risks
- IP popularity cycles
- Execution risk on new lands/attractions
Leading indicators
- Performance of new IP-based attractions (attendance uplift)
- Merchandise attach rate tied to major releases
Counterarguments
- Rivals also license/build around blockbuster IP (e.g., Nintendo, Harry Potter)
- Not all IP translates into park demand
Brand Trust
Demand
Brand Trust
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Licensed characters and franchises support durable demand in consumer products and strengthen the broader Disney flywheel.
Erosion risks
- Retail channel shifts reduce licensing economics
- Brand reputational risks
Leading indicators
- Merchandise licensing revenue trend
- Franchise-level retail sales rank
Counterarguments
- Licensing is competitive and depends on ongoing franchise relevance
- Retailers can shift shelf space quickly
Evidence
The Company's businesses throughout the world are affected by its ability to exploit and protect against infringement of its IP... Important IP includes rights in the content of motion pictures, television programs... character likenesses, theme park attractions... and merchandise.
Directly supports that Disney's economics depend on exploiting and defending IP rights.
The success of our businesses is highly dependent on the existence and maintenance of intellectual property rights in the entertainment products and services we create.
Reinforces IP as a central asset and vulnerability, consistent with an IP-based moat.
Disney+ and Hulu are subscription-based DTC services offered individually or in various bundles, which may include one of the ESPN DTC plans...
Shows bundling as an explicit go-to-market strategy, supporting bundling-based moat logic.
Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic branded programming are all top-level selections or "tiles" within the Disney+ interface.
Shows Disney's portfolio of trusted brands is a first-order product feature, consistent with brand-driven demand advantages.
We enter into long-term contracts... including contracts for the acquisition of programming rights for sporting events... We may lose programming rights... if we are unable to renew these contracts on acceptable terms.
Confirms sports rights are secured via long-term contracts and are central enough that renewal risk is material.
Showing 5 of 9 sources.
Risks & Indicators
Erosion risks
- Copyright expirations for early works/character versions
- Franchise fatigue
- Rising content costs
- Competitors mimic bundling strategies
- Bundle complexity increases churn/CS costs
- Brand dilution from inconsistent content quality
Leading indicators
- Franchise-level content ROI (box office + streaming engagement)
- Licensing revenue trend
- Share of viewing hours for Disney brands
- Bundle penetration rate
- DTC churn rate
- DTC ARPU vs. price changes
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