Riding on broadband, Disney connects to Spain

Riding on broadband, Disney connects to Spain

MUMBAI: Riding the broadband wave, Walt Disney's Internet Group's (WDIG) has tied up with Terra Lycos in Spain to offer free of charge, a portal with music, games, video and learning activities called the Disney Connection.
Disney Connection is an interactive online content service exclusively available through a broadband connection while Terra is the first Internet Service Provider in Europe to launch Disney Connection.


The programming, which is likely to revolve around both classic and new Disney characters, is slated to have four well-defined sections - Watch, Play, Learn and Listen. Apart from a host of free-of-charge limited services bundled with Terra's broadband service, Disney also plans to offer paid premium services such as unlimited play on Internet-based games and downloadable music albums.
With broadband Internet drawing a loyal audience that's multiplying by the day, Disney's strategic move to capture the European market beginning with Spain couldn't have been more timely. In fact, by year-end, Disney is all set to reach out to Terra subscribers in Latin countries of Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru.
India, too, has its fair share of active and prospective subscribers who value high speed and welcome the always-on feature of broadband. Perhaps then, it is time to start asking whether broadband entertainment and learning in India are finally being seen as a mass concept whose time has come. If yes, how deep a groove could it mark for conventional media that is offering similar content on television even if it is only meant to complement television programming?