Disney is Launching Its Own TV and Movie Streaming Site

Disney is launching its own TV and movie streaming site to rival Netflix, Hulu and a whole host of other online video libraries. It will be called Disney+ and a great deal of Disney’s time and effort is being plowed into the service to make it a success. In this article, we look at what exactly the company plans to offer through the new streaming library and how much the service will cost.

What’s Included in Disney’s New Site?

While it is yet to be launched, the exact product offering of Disney+ is still not confirmed. However, it has at least been revealed by Disney employees that Disney+ will have around 7000 episodes of different TV series as well as up to 500 movies.

Obviously, Disney produced content will feature heavily. This includes all Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar projects as well as the traditional animations.

In addition to streaming already made movies and shows, the company are also developing content, much like their video streaming competitors. For example it is understood that many Marvel characters are being used in several series for TV shows, amongst other franchise characters.

From what the company CEO has said, it looks like Disney+ will have a TV show for every person and every type of taste at every age. The entertainment mogul is also looking to remake several of its most famous original films, like Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap and Honey I Shrunk The Kids.

What’s NOT Included?

While not strictly their streaming site, Disney has made the interesting decision not to remove content that they have produced, like Star Wars or Marvel, from other video libraries. This is perhaps for legal reasons restricting them to do so. In some cases, a number of their films they are not allowed to stop airing on other media outlets.

For example, the previously mentioned Star Wars films are under the control of Turner Broadcasting System until 2024. This is down to a deal the two companies made where Disney sold the broadcaster the rights. Disney has, in fact, tried to buy back those rights, but to no avail.

In terms of Disney+ itself, as a family-oriented entertainment producer, there will not be any R rated content on the streaming site.

How Much Will The Streaming Site Cost?

Disney has revealed that it will charge a price for this service that undercuts Netflix. While they have yet to confirm an exact number, this means that the service will be offered at anything from $8 to $14 a month. Whether it would stay at a price that undercuts a rival forever, will remain to be seen.

Arguably, it needs to charge a lower price initially as it would not be able to compete with Netflix on the size of the library and content that is available. However, Disney makes some pretty good content for which it could charge a premium. Plus any company that owns the rights to Star Wars and Pixar films, all of which have a huge cult following, could result in higher prices. That’s not to say that their unique content would stop them from charging a premium in future.

When Will Disney’s Streaming Site Launch?

Along with a vague notification about the content that will be available on the site, Disney has also been quite vague about the exact launch date. Presumably, this is to give them a fair amount of flexibility to get the site perfect before selling subscription plans that offer a faulty product. The company has, however, suggested late 2019 as a broad timeline they have in mind.

What Countries Will It Be Available In?

Like the launch date, the exact countries that Disney+ will be available in is unclear. Obviously, the service will be allowed to be viewed easily in the US, but after that the distribution rights that the company has from country to country vary. This means that users will perhaps experience the same as they do with Netflix – not all the content that the company owns can be viewed everywhere in the world.

The Bottom Line

Disney’s announcement of its streaming site is incredibly exciting. Plus, it has the man power and gravitas to challenge current industry leaders which is ultimately better for the consumer. It means that as a result of releasing a new streaming site, Disney+ competitors have to improve their service to stay relevant to the market place. If they don’t, it is possible that they will simply disappear into the online ether. With a quality library of content already at its fingertips, it looks like Disney is set to be quite the disruptor in this area of the market.

However, it’s not a given that Disney+ will be a success. Time will tell if the software it produces lets users have a pleasurable viewing experience. Only then will watching some old shows and movies, as well as viewing new content that the company has hinted at, be worthwhile.