Disney Ditches Cellphone Service

Walt Disney Co. has just announced the closure of its Disney cellphone service, which it launched last year with high hopes of targeting a family market with features like Mickey Mouse ring tones and tools enabling parents to locate their children. The news follows on the heels of Disney's decision last fall to shelve its ESPN cellphone service, the Wall Street Journal reports.

After a year in which Disney phones failed to catch on, the new plan is to license content to major carriers; earlier this year, Disney forged an alliance with Verizon to sell ESPN news and video. While the details of Disney's latest belly-flop are unknown, the ESPN meltdown added $30 million in closing costs to a $150 million investment. (More Walt Disney Co. stories.)