Walt Disney Internet Group

Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) is the subsidiary company of the Walt Disney Company for Internet sites of the group. The majority of the sites of WDIG are recognizable by their xxxx.go.com root and also by their names, associated at Disney. The company was created in 2000 on the basis of Go.com, Infoseek and the sites Disney-ABC-ESPN.

Economic analysis

The Walt Disney Internet Group was launched by the Walt Disney Company into full Bulle Internet. The group was created like a company with share of Walt Disney Company, and was with dimensions with NASDAQ. The projects of Disney for this activity were mainly supported by a certain euphoria. But it did not receive the success discounted in spite of several undeniable successes.

WDIG is currently the leader of the market of the development and the distribution of entertainments and informative contents on the new supports of communications (telephone, Internet, cable,…). WDIG is inter alia charged to create and diffuse products for the following services, the majority requiring of the high-flow:

  • ABC News One Demand , a service by subscription which offers first channel Internet of diffusion of video information uninterrupted and on line
  • ABC News supplier of programs to the chart
  • Disney Connection of the plays, activities and vidéos for the family (of which especially children)
  • WDIG Motion a technology owner of vidéos intended for the users of connections high banc.

WDIG created partnerships with various suppliers of access, mainly without wire (for example Sprint or NTT DoCoMo in order to distribute contents and services through the Disney marks, ESPN and ABC. As example, the Disney mark thus proposes ringings or images to personalize the cellphones, while ESPN and ABC propose services of information continuously as well as video.

Moreover, WDIG was the pioneer in the development of interactive contents for the programs televised with its service Enhanced TV .

Currently the president of WDIG is Steve Wadsworth. The seat of the company is with North Hollywood, in California but the group has also offices or production line teams to Seattle, New York, Orlando, Tokyo and London.

History

In parallel of the dates below, Disney developed various products mainly in its branch Consumables which were integrated into what is currently WDIG.

  • In 1995, Disney created a subsidiary company for Internet: Disney Online to publish and manage contents on these new media.

  • the February 22nd 1996: Disney launches its Internet site: Disney.com quickly followed by others.

  • In November 1998 Disney buys a little less than half of Infoseek.

  • Disney launches the January 12th 1999 a gate Internet wanting to be a competitor of Lycos and Yahoo: Go.com . The site gathers the sites of the Disney marks, proposes an search engine and for the first time of the regroupings of categories of sites. It is also a supplier of access, a place of cat and a transport.

  • In August 1999, WDIG buys 60% of Soccernet to Daily Mail and General Trust

  • Disney supplements the November 17th 1999 its acquisition of Infoseek. Disney creates then branches of activity Internet and Direct sales 'by gathering activities Internet of the two companies. It is thanks to an agreement of exchange of actions held by the shareholders of Infoseek against actions of Go.com that acquisition was made.

Years 2000

  • the January 27th 2000, the service ABC' S Enhanced TV attracts more than 650.000 people during the Super Bowl. It is a service Internet acting like an interactive companion of the television programs

  • the August 2nd 2000, GO.com is renamed Walt Disney Internet Group and the action is with dimensions with NYSE under reference DIG. WDIG in is integrated into the branch media and networks

  • the August 3rd 2000, WDIG buys the 40% remainder of Soccernet. The studio has had for summer integrated into Buena Vista Games.

  • the May 24th 2006, WDIG signs an agreement of license with Shanda the Chinese leader of the Online game, managing 12 plays.

  • the July 3rd 2006, WDIG signs a contract with the Italian firm Buongiorno for the distribution of contents in Mediterranean Europe.

  • the August 31st 2006: WDIG buys the content provider for cellphone Chinese Mobile2Win, subsidiary of the Indian company Contests2win.

At the beginning 2007, Disney launches a new version of the site Disney.com.

The February 28th 2007, Interactive WDIG, Disney Studios and Macrovision announce a collaboration to distribute the video games Disney in Europe and Australia thanks to a gate managed by WDIG on the network of Macrovision.

  • the March 19th 2007, WDIG buys a second content provider for cellphone Chinese Enorbus for 20 million $

  • the July 12th 2007, WDIG launches official site WAP of Disney in China wap.disney.com .cn

  • the 2007, Disney repurchased the site of virtual world for children Club Penguin for 350 million $

  • the September 27th 2007, WDIG announced closing on January 1st, 2008 of the virtual operator Disney Mobile.

Some subsidiary companies or services

Internet sites

For Disney

  • sites of the mark Disney :
    • Americas : disney.com, disney.ca, disney.com .br, disneylatino.com
    • Europe : disney.be, disney.ch, disney.de, disney.dk, disney.es, disney.fi, disney.fr, disney.it, disnye.nl, disney.no, disney.pl, disney.pt, disney.se, disney.co.uk
    • Asia : disney.co.jp, disney.com .cn, disney.com .hk, disney.com .au, disney.com .tw, disney.co.kr
    • the Middle East : disneyme.com

  • different sites (nonexhaustive):

disneyland.com, disneyworld.com, disneycruise.com, disneyvacation.com
disneystore.com, disneychannel.com

Disney have also many sites for its films, its attractions or various activities which are redirection like: disneymeetings, disneyweddings…

Other Subsidiary companies

  • familyfun.com (ex family.com)
  • espn.com
  • abc.com and abcnews.com
  • oscars.com
  • nba.com
  • movies.com

Consumables

  • Disney Mobile is a mobile telephone service where Disney is a MVNO. The service exists with the Japan (with NTT DoCoMo) and with the the United States (with Sprint)
    • Disney Mobile Studios produces goods and services for mobile telephony
  • Disney Connection is a content provider for
  • Disney Online
    • Disney' S Toontown Online a MMRPG, play massively in line multi-player and 3D for the young people and the family
    • Disney' S Blast is a Community play in line
    • Disney Wireless negotiates the licenses of the derivative products of the subsidiary companies of Disney usable by telephony mobile. In 2002 more than 20 countries already such products via operators proposed.

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