The latest Disney+. Disney's new streaming service has been a remarkable success, perhaps in part because it was released shortly before the coronavirus pandemic, with people soon stuck inside and understandably desperate for a bit of cheer. The highlights are original series created by Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, part of the MCU and Star Wars franchises.

But it's important to understand that streaming services are not directly comparable to normal networks. While viewership of an individual series is important, the crucial metric for success is "engagement." By that measure, for example, The Clone Wars; they didn't simply tune in to one episode and then switch off, but instead remained engaged with the platform as a whole, moving on to other shows. Unfortunately, the latest MCU Disney+ series are demonstrating the limitations of the platform rather than its strengths, showing ways in which it really needs to improve.

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Take the example of Loki. In other words, it's not suggesting a movie viewers may not have seen in a while or that ties thematically or narratively into what they just watched, but rather toward a mostly unrelated show that is the most recent release (and thus likely recently watched). This is especially shortsighted with fan bases like Marvel and Star Wars, which are likely to keep up with new shows and movies as soon as they release and are more inclined to go back to an older movie to compare and search for Easter eggs.

Captain Carter raising her fist in Marvel's What If...?

This presents a marked contrast between Disney+ and its biggest rival, Netflix. Netflix is a data-driven company, and its streaming service is governed by algorithms that attempt to ensure every has a unique, personalized experience. Viewers are divided into roughly 2,000 "taste communities," while all content is extensively tagged in order to ensure the algorithm provides programs and movies that are appropriate for a 's assigned taste clusters. While Disney+ doesn't yet have a library large enough to require quite that degree of sophistication, it should at least be savvy enough to point people to a movie related to the latest episode rather than a TV series they've already watched.

The short Marvel's decision not to reference the Agent Carter TV series is a missed opportunity as a link to the TV show could potentially lead to a viewer watching two seasons.

Disney+ is a new streaming service, but the latest MCU shows have proved there is significant room for improvement. Its algorithms clearly lack sophistication right now, there are gaps in basic functionality, and even basic decisions - such as whether to reference the Agent Carter series - aren't being made with an eye to engagement. Still, hopefully, the Disney+ service will be updated with some of this going forward.

More: Every Marvel Studios Disney+ TV Show

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