Disney’s big app push on the iPad

Walt Disney Company announced last Thursday that it would be looking to create applications for all its latest TV shows, games, videos, interactive books you name it in the near future.

The Walt Disney Company has just released a brand new 'app' designed to help connect digitally minded children with all the latest comic books like 'Spiderman'. Disney Publishing Worldwide sells millions of books and reading materials each year, making the company one of the biggest globally. The publishing division's President Russell Hampton Jr told the New York Times in a recent interview that 'we saw an opportunity to build a complementary business with children's books.' With the advent of Tablet technology via the like of Apple's iPad and the likes of Amazon's eReader Kindle, eBook sales have been booming across the world. Mr Hampton spoke of how Disney was looking to engage with younger children, via the use of technology, with many apps selling for a reasonable $6.99 - he went on to say 'In kids' books, art plays a bigger role in telling the story than the text does.'

In other news Disney has signed an agreement with YouTube to make Disney's library of films available online for the first time. The rental scheme will include leading children's movies like 'Cars 2' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Disney subsidiary Pixar and othercompanies like DreamWorks will be able to stream videos via YouTube in a move that will open up the video rental market. YouTube is also launching a co-branded Disney channel, muted to be worth between $10 - $15m, with a long series of releases to come over the next year. The channel will be available to users via Disney.com and YouTube. The news comes after a similar initiative earlier this year on Amazon's LoveFilm. In a joint statement, Disney and YouTube said: 'Disney interactive will produce and programme the co-branded video destinations for both Disney.com and YouTube, providing a family friendly experience for viewers across both platforms.' Also in the news, an original autographed drawing by Walt Disney himself from around the 1920s is up for auction in Reno, California. The piece called 'Fill up my can' could be worth around $50,000. The auction is expected to hold thousands of other items and this Disney original is considered to be one of the few in existance signed by the original man himself.

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