In September 2017, Disney announced plans to create its own streaming video service — a platform created to challenge Netflix, Hulu, and similar high-end streamers. Just over a year later, that service was given a name, Disney Plus, and on April 11 we got our first look at the service in all its Disney-fied glory, as well as information on pricing and a launch date of November 12, 2019.
Disney Plus (also known as Disney+) is intended to compete with industry leader Netflix and the various other direct-to-consumer streaming video platforms currently in use and in development. It will also include some high-profile exclusive content and (eventually) every movie in Disney’s expansive library, including a number of previously hard-to-find animated features.
Here’s everything we know about Disney Plus so far.
Price, Release Date, First Look
Disney rolled out a long and somewhat star-studded presentation to investors on April 11 to give a first look at its new service, along with some intriguing details. The highlights? The service will cost $7 per month at launch or $70 per year (don’t be surprised if that price rises quickly) and is expected to arrive in November 2019.
The company also showed off a prototype of its new service which, frankly, looks very Netflix-y — but in a Disney kind of way. The smooth and clean interface offers a row of tiles at the top of its home screen differentiating the multiple tiers, including Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney, and National Geographic tiles for each of the service’s marquee properties.
Disney also shared some other details including a road map for the service’s first year, which is set to include 25 original series (starting with titles like its new Star Wars series The Mandalorian), a whole slate of films from its vault (including classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, and Pinocchio), and, in a surprise reveal, all 30 seasons of The Simpsons, fresh off the brand’s new acquisition of Fox properties.
Everything Coming to the Platform (So Far)
But if any studio has the library and the resources to out-Netflix Netflix, it’s Disney. From exclusive new TV series to blockbuster Marvel and Star Wars movies to the newly acquired 21st Century Fox lineup, Disney’s upcoming streaming service, Disney+, will have plenty to offer. Check out our slideshow or scroll down to find out everything that will be included (that we know about so far).
- The Mandalorian
- Rogue One Prequel Series
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7
- Star Wars Movies
- Loki Prequel Series
- WandaVision
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
- Hawkeye Series
- Marvel’s What If…?
- Monsters at Work
- Disney Movies (old and new)
- + So much more!
For Disney, the appeal of this new venture is twofold. A streaming service has come to be an essential part of any big media company’s offerings. But companies such as Netflix have also benefited from licensing Disney titles for their own streaming libraries; as those rights lapse, those movies will vanish, and Netflix will be forced to rely more heavily on its own original content.
It’s exactly why every major tech company has been pouring money into original television and film: to prepare for the approaching landscape of à la carte online viewing. Consumers will have to pick which services seem most worth the monthly price to them, and the better the archive, the more valuable the commitment.