The
service will roll out in the US initially later this year.
Disney has
raised the curtain on a hotly anticipated video streaming service that is
aiming to topple industry pioneer Netflix.
The service, called Disney Plus,
has been in the works for more than a year, but Thursday marked the first time
that the longtime entertainment powerhouse has laid out plans for its attack on
Netflix and a formidable cast of competitors, including Amazon, HBO Go and
Showtime Anytime.
Disney Plus will roll out in the
US initially on November 12 at a price of 6.99 dollars (£5.35) per month, or
69.99 dollars (£53.55) per year.
The price is well below the
monthly fee Netflix charges for its most popular streaming plan, signalling
Disney’s determination to woo subscribers as it vies to become a major player
in a field that has turned “binge watching” into a common ritual.
Like Netflix, Disney Plus will be
free of ads and subscribers will be able to download all of the shows and
movies on Disney’s service to watch offline.
Netflix
will still have a far deeper video programming lineup after spending tens of
billions of dollars during the past six years on original shows such as House
of Cards, Stranger Things and The Crown.
But Disney
Plus will be able to draw upon a library of revered films dating back several
decades while it also forges into original programming.
Its
animated classics, including Aladdin and The Jungle Book, will be available on
the service when it launches.
New shows
already on tap include The Mandalorian, the first live action Star Wars series,
created by Jon Favreau; a prequel to the Star Wars film Rogue One, starring
Diego Luna; a series about the Marvel character Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston;
a rebooted High School Musical series; and a new documentary series focused on
Disney.
Disney is
approaching the streaming industry from a “position of strength, confidence and
unbridled optimism”, chief executive Bob Iger said.
The service’s entire lineup will
cover five categories: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National
Geographic.
Although
Disney has an enviable track record of producing shows and films that attract
huge audiences, its attempt to build its own Netflix is risky.
To make
the leap, Disney ended a lucrative relationship with Netflix, which had become
the video streaming home for its latest films after their theatrical release,
as well as many of its TV series and classic movies.
But now
movies that came out in 2019, and going forward, will be streamed only on
Disney Plus. That includes Captain Marvel, which came out earlier this year;
Avengers: Endgame, which debuts in late April; and the upcoming Toy Story 4,
live-action movies The Lion King and Aladdin; and Star Wars Episode IX.
Disney
will also contend with a new streaming service from Apple, which is expected to
be released in the autumn. Apple has not yet said how much its service will
cost or when exactly it will launch.
Disney said movies would become
available on its streaming service only after the traditional cinema release
period and home movie debut, which includes DVDs and purchasing streaming
videos.
That puts
its schedule behind that of some competitors. Netflix films such as the
award-winning Roma and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs have either become
available for streaming on the same day or just a few days after their short
runs in cinemas.
With nearly
140 million worldwide subscribers, Netflix has already proven its mettle while
warding off one competitive threat after another in the 12 years since it
pivoted from DVD-by-mail rentals to video streaming.
Now,
Netflix is locking horns with a company that has been steadily expanding upon
its Disney franchise during a shopping spree that has seen it snap up other
major studios.
Culled from Independent.ie
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