Josh D’Amaro replaced Bob Iger as Disney CEO in March 2025. His first big swing is turning Disney+ into a super app bundling streaming, gaming, theme park bookings and shopping. The goal is to mimic Southeast Asian super apps like Grab or GoTo but for a global audience. Disney+ lost €1.9bn in Europe last year while Netflix added 10m EU subscribers and hit €3.2bn in regional revenue. EU digital markets rules cap data bundling and favor interoperability, directly conflicting with Disney’s walled garden vision.

Disney’s super app idea is a classic US tech playbook that fails in Europe. The EU’s DMA forces platforms to open APIs and allow third party integrations. Building a closed super app violates the spirit and likely the letter of these laws. European consumers already use local super apps like Bolt or Wolt that handle transport, food and payments. Disney lacks the scale or data to compete here. Its streaming service is a loss leader in a region where Netflix dominates with 68m subscribers and Amazon Prime has 50m. The super app push looks like a Hail Mary to justify Disney’s €75bn content spend over the past five years.

Netflix and Amazon win as Disney wastes capital on an unworkable EU strategy. European regulators win as they force another US giant to adapt to local rules. Disney loses money and mindshare. Local app ecosystems like Bolt and Wolt win as Disney’s half hearted entry validates their model.

Watch for Disney’s inevitable retreat. Expect a pivot to partnerships with EU compliant platforms within 12 months. Netflix will likely add more interactive features to preempt Disney’s gaming ambitions. EU regulators will use Disney’s super app as a case study to tighten DMA enforcement.