In an effort to gain a foothold in the streaming business, Disney will be launching its very own streaming service to compete with the likes of Hulu and Netflix later this year. With the competition in this space having heated up over the past few years, this will serve to add to the firestorm.
With the brand new Disney Plus streaming service, the veteran of the entertainment industry is confident that their stash of original content will give them the edge over the rest of the industry, Disney is seeking to broaden its horizons and tap into a previously untapped revenue stream. As more information comes out, the more we will know what to expect.
Pricing
Based on the latest available information, Disney will be offering their streaming service at a standard monthly rate of $7, with the monthly cost dropping to $3.99 if users take on the three-year subscription deal. Disney also offers a discount tier of $5.83 a month when the year-long subscription is paid upfront.
Preorders for Disney Plus are already available. However, there is an option to bundle your Disney Plus along with ESPN Plus and Hulu at just $13 a month overall if you wait to sign up on the release date. Disney Plus’ pricing system is more attractive than that of many other streaming providers, including HBO Now and Netflix.
With the $7 subscription, users will be able to enjoy up to four connections simultaneously as well as the ability to stream in 4K. This compares quite closely with the $16 a month subscription tier from Netflix. Disney sure looks keen on slicing away a good bit of market share.
What Do People Get with Disney Plus?
No one knows exactly what Disney Plus will be offering as the lineup is still being finalized. Having said that, the latest revelation has been that there will be about 7000 episodes from a whole host of Disney shows and others as well as over 500 movies in Disney Plus’ debut lineup.
A very interesting development is that Disney plans on doing something similar to what a lot of other streaming companies do, which is to produce original content and TV shows specifically catered for the Disney Plus subscriber base. Disney Plus is planning on eventually having TV shows and movies that will appeal to every conceivable demographic group.
Interestingly, Disney has currently decided to leave certain content on several outside video libraries, most likely to not break any existing contracts. Also, Disney has announced that, as an effort to remain a family-friendly industry name, it will not be offering any R rated content on Disney Plus.
When and Where Will They Launch?
Even though things may change slightly, the release dates of Disney Plus has been set for November 12th in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, with Australia and New Zealand going online a week later on the 19th.
It is to be noted that while the initial selection will already be quite substantial, Disney will be adding more movies and shows to the streaming site as soon as time permits. Disney also plans to expand coverage of Disney Plus progressively over the next two years, with the Asia-Pacific and Western Europe being the next leg in that process.
Additional Information About Disney Plus
From the information available, it seems that this is not just Disney dipping its toes in the water just for kicks. Rather, Disney seems to be bent on becoming a major industry player in a very short space of time. And it looks like Disney is pulling out all the stops to make that vision a reality.
Not only is it pouring an inordinate amount of resources into this venture, Disney is also taking advantage of some of their unique capabilities that other streaming companies do not have, namely their uniquely illustrious list of original content over decades of being in the entertainment business.
By leveraging this comparative advantage, Disney hopes to not just differentiate itself from the rest of the competition, but to be seen as an all-around superior option to the likes of Netflix, Hulu and the rest of the front runners. And everyone knows that whenever Disney puts its mind to something, you best not be in their way.
What Might the Future Hold?
When the foundation is set, Disney seems poised to really shake up the industry and all its players, big and small alike. Now, none of this guarantees success and it will be interesting to see how many people do indeed decide to make the switch, but what can be said for certain is that the industry has not seen this much of a sea change in a while.
Ultimately, regardless of what happens with Disney Plus, more and more people will “cut the cord” as they say, abandoning cable TV networks completely in favor of an online streaming subscription. Only time will tell where this is going to go.