assignmentmedia studiesmarketing

Assignment: Build a Streaming Content Strategy for the EMEA Market

UUnknown

2026-02-23

10 min read

A coursework template for students to build a Disney+ EMEA streaming strategy—covering commissioning, localisation, promotions, and KPIs for 2026.

Hook: Turn coursework into a real-world streaming strategy for Disney+ in EMEA

Students and instructors: if you've ever been frustrated by vague media assignments that don’t teach how to ship work into the real world, this template fixes that. You will build a full-fledged streaming strategy and content plan for Disney+ in the EMEA market, grounded in market research, commissioning roles, and promotion tactics that reflect late-2025 and early-2026 industry developments.

Why this assignment matters in 2026

Streaming in EMEA is far from homogeneous in 2026: regulatory shifts (AVMSD updates), ad-supported acceleration (FAST and AVOD hybrid growth), and localized commissioning teams are reshaping how platforms program and promote. Disney+ itself reorganized leadership in late 2025 — promotions included new VPs for Scripted and Unscripted — signaling a renewed focus on regional originals and long-term EMEA plans. That change means commissions and marketing must be more local, data-driven, and partnership-ready than ever.

"I want to set the team up for long term success in EMEA," said Disney+ content chief Angela Jain in a late-2025 briefing — a mandate this coursework mirrors by prioritizing sustainable, localized strategies.

Learning outcomes (what students will master)

Design a market-informed content plan for Disney+ EMEA spanning scripted, unscripted, and kids’ programming.
Map commissioning roles and workflows that deliver localized originals at scale.
Create a cross-channel promotion and launch strategy tied to measurable KPIs.
Apply market research and data analytics to prioritize projects, budgets, and release windows.
Account for regulatory, cultural, and localization constraints across multiple EMEA regions.

Assignment brief (student-facing)

You are a commissioning team at Disney+ tasked with creating a 12-month content and marketing plan for EMEA. Produce a package that includes: a 10-slide investor-style pitch, two pilot synopses (one scripted, one unscripted), a content calendar, commissioning memos, a launch & promotion strategy, and a measurement plan. Use available market data and reasonable assumptions; document sources and explain trade-offs.

Deliverables (graded)

10-slide strategy deck summarizing insights, slate recommendation, and KPIs.
Two 1-page pilot treatments (500 words max each) and a high-level production budget (line-item percentages ok).
12-month content calendar with windows, release cadence, and regional variations.
Commissioning role & workflow diagram showing approvals, budgets, and talent outreach.
Integrated promotion plan (paid/owned/earned) for two launches with a 90-day timeline.
Measurement plan: acquisition, retention, completion, and revenue metrics; dashboard mockup suggested.
Reflection memo (500–800 words) on localization choices, risks, and mitigation strategies.

Context and research guidance

Start with industry context: look at late-2025 to early-2026 reporting on EMEA streaming trends. Useful areas to research:

Regulation: EU audiovisual rules and local content quotas (AVMSD updates) that affect commissioning and discoverability.
Business models: Growth of AVOD/FAST channels and hybrid bundles across Europe, MENA, and Africa.
Consumer behaviour: Mobile-first consumption in parts of Africa and Middle East, long-form binge behaviour in Western Europe, family viewing in Southern Europe.
Competitive landscape: Local streamers, linear broadcasters, FAST aggregators, and telco bundles. Map incumbent players per market.

Suggested primary data sources: platform annual/quarterly reports, trade desks (e.g., Ampere, Omdia), regional ratings agencies, Google Trends, public consumer surveys, and social listening tools. Cite everything.

Audience segmentation: build 4 priority personas

For a credible plan, create four cross-EMEA personas. Example set:

Euro-Binge Parent — 30–45, urban, subscribes to 2–3 services, values family-friendly franchises and kids’ profiles.
Young Mobile Streamer — 18–29, mobile-first, strong appetite for short-form and local unscripted formats.
Regional Prestige Viewer — 35–55, appreciates high-quality scripted drama rooted in local culture and film festivals.
Cost-Conscious Household — values ad-supported tiers and bundled telco offers; price sensitive.

Commissioning roles and a sample org chart

One reason Disney+ promoted regional commissioners in late 2025 was to streamline approvals and local expertise. For the assignment, define these roles and responsibilities.

Head of EMEA Content: Sets slate strategy, signs co-productions, balances global IP with local originals.
VP Scripted Originals: Leads drama comissions, writers’ rooms, and festival strategy.
VP Unscripted & Formats: Scouts format adaptations, talent-led shows, and short-form series.
Head of Kids & Family: Oversees animation, dubbing/subtitles, and parental controls.
Head of Co-Productions: Manages partner financing, regional broadcasters, and tax-incentive exploitation.
Data & Insights Lead: Provides audience analytics, A/B testing guidance, and retention cohort analysis.
Marketing & Growth Lead: Activates campaigns, partnerships, and PR.
Legal & Compliance: Manages rights, AVMSD compliance, and GDPR/data use rules.

Ask students to draw the workflow between these roles: from pitch to greenlight, production oversight, and marketing handoff.

Choosing the slate: practical criteria

Have students score potential projects against these weighted criteria (example percentages):

Audience fit (25%)
Cost-to-value (20%)
Franchise or talent draw (15%)
Local cultural relevance (15%)
Export potential / festival appeal (15%)
Regulatory eligibility for quotas or incentives (10%)

This forces trade-off thinking: a low-cost unscripted series can be high ROI in price-sensitive markets, while prestige scripted dramas may be loss leaders for subscriber acquisition and awards.

Localization and production strategy

Localization is not just dubbing. In 2026, smart localization includes:

Co-productions with local studios to access talent, incentives, and authenticity.
Transcreation of marketing materials (not word-for-word translation).
Platform UX choices: curated hubs for language clusters, region-specific trailers.
Subtitles, dubbing, and accessibility tracks prioritized by audience size and retention ROI.
Data-driven language prioritization: subtitle first for small markets, dubbed first for large family markets.

Promotion strategies: integrated, local-first

Construct promotion plans that mix global flagship activity with local execution. For each launch, include:

Owned: In-app promos, curated editorial placements, trailers, watchlists.
Paid: Social (Meta, TikTok), programmatic, connected-TV buys, out-of-home in key cities, telco and ISP bundles.
Earned: Festival premieres, local press tours, talent interviews, influencer seeding.
Partnerships: Local broadcasters for linear windows, FAST channels for ad-supported discovery, retail tie-ins and theme park promos where relevant.

Example campaign: launch a Nordic noir drama with a festival premiere (earned), targeted CTV buys in Nordic markets (paid), and English-subtitled teaser on YouTube and TikTok (owned) — plus co-marketing with a Scandinavian telco for bundle distribution.

Measurement: set KPIs and a dashboard

Students should define KPIs across funnel stages, with targets and data sources:

Acquisition: New subs attributable to campaign, CAC, conversion rate from trial.
Engagement: View-through rate for episodes, completion rate, average watch time per user.
Retention: Churn reduction among target cohorts, 30/90-day retention lift.
Monetization: ARPU lift, ad RPM (if AVOD), affiliate revenue from bundles.
Brand & Reach: Social impressions, PR volume, festival recognitions.

Build a mock dashboard that pulls cohort metrics, campaign UTM performance, and content completion rates — explain data latency and attribution fuzziness.

Budgeting: percentages, not guesswork

Rather than exact figures, teach students to allocate budget ranges for a regional slate. Example allocation for a 12-month EMEA slate:

Content production (60–75%) — scripted gets the bulk for prestige; unscripted is leaner.
Marketing & launch (10–20%) — front-loaded around launches.
Localization (3–7%) — dubbing, subtitling, assets.
Co-production partner fees & incentives (5–10%).
Contingency & rights (3–5%).

Regulatory and rights checklist

Ensure projects meet:

AVMSD and local content quota documentation for EU markets.
Rightclearance for music, archives, and territory splits (especially for multi-territory co-productions).
GDPR-compliant viewer data use in marketing and personalization.
Sensitivity to local censorship and classification systems (MENA and some African markets may require edits or alternative windows).

2026 trends to incorporate (and test)

FAST & AVOD acceleration: Many EMEA markets are adopting ad tiers and free FAST channels; plan for ad-supported windows and promo funnels.
AI-assisted insights: Use AI for script heat-mapping, subtitle automation, and A/B testing creatives — but include human editorial review.
Short-form funneling: Use TikTok and Reels to drive discovery; short episodic clips can boost completion rates when embedded into the app.
Regional festivals and awards: Local festival visibility drives prestige and exportability — plan festival runs for scripted pieces.
Sustainability: Productions increasingly report carbon footprints; include sustainability targets for commissioned projects.

Assessment rubric (sample)

Research & Insight (25%): Quality of market data, citation, and audience segmentation.
Slate & Commissioning Logic (25%): Clear prioritization, cost/value justification, and localization reasoning.
Promotion Plan (20%): Realistic channel mix, budgets, and timelines tied to KPIs.
Execution & Practicality (15%): Workflow clarity, legal/regulatory checks, and production feasibility.
Delivery & Presentation (15%): Deck quality, memo clarity, and overall persuasiveness.

Classroom variants and extensions

Scale the assignment by cohort size and course level:

Undergraduate: team-based, focus on a single market (e.g., UK & Ireland) and a smaller slate.
Graduate: individual or small teams, multi-market EMEA plan with revenue modeling and stakeholder mapping.
Executive education: condensed 2-day workshop with rapid sprints and real industry mentors (bring a commissioning exec as a guest judge).

Example student timeline (10-week module)

Week 1: Kickoff, market briefing, persona creation.
Week 2–3: Market research and competitive mapping.
Week 4: Slate ideation; submit 5 candidate projects.
Week 5–6: Commissioning memos and budget drafts.
Week 7: Promotion strategy and localization plan.
Week 8: Dashboard + measurement plan.
Week 9: Finalize deck and pilots.
Week 10: Presentations and grading.

Practical tips for high-scoring submissions

Use real-world citations; reference late-2025 leadership changes and industry reports where relevant.
Balance ambition with realism: show creative risk but justify budget and timeline.
Be explicit about localization: which languages, dubbing vs. subtitling, and release windows per territory.
Include contingency plans for rights delays and regulatory holds.
Demonstrate measurement literacy: explain cohort analysis and the attribution model you'll use.

Sample mini-case: Commissioning 'Rivals'-style unscripted in EMEA

Use the following mini-case as a scaffold. In late-2025 Disney+ promoted several commissioners with track records on successful titles — use that real-world context to anchor your pitch.

Concept: A regionally adapted reality competition that celebrates local sports culture (short seasons, high social shareability).
Why it fits: Low production cost, high repeatability, strong ad-supported potential in cost-sensitive markets.
Promotion plan: National launch events, influencer seeding week, highlight reels on FAST channels, and partnership with local sports federations.
KPIs: CAC below regional average, 30% uplift in MAU among young mobile streamers, social engagement rate >4% for launch month.

Actionable takeaways (quick reference)

Start with local audience personas; let them drive slate decisions.
Score projects against clear, weighted criteria to justify commissions.
Plan promotions that mix global scale with local authenticity.
Design a simple dashboard with acquisition, engagement, and retention KPIs.
Account for regulatory and rights complexity early; it affects windows and exportability.

Instructor resources & readings

Deadline coverage of Disney+ EMEA leadership changes (late 2025) — for context on commissioning shifts.
EU AVMSD summaries and country-specific guidance for quotas and classification.
Trade analyst briefings on FAST/AVOD growth (2024–2026 trends).
Select festival programming guides (Sundance, Berlinale) to understand prestige placement strategies.

Final notes

This assignment is designed to be industry-faithful while flexible for classroom constraints. It brings commissioning, market research, and media marketing together so students graduate with a practical playbook for streaming strategy in the complex and opportunity-rich EMEA region.

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Ready to run this in your class? Download the editable assignment pack, slide templates, and grading rubric, or request a guest lecture template that connects students with an industry commissioner for live feedback. Turn theory into practice — and build strategies that could be greenlit in the real world.

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