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Netflix should certainly feel threatened by Disney+
From November, Disney's streaming service will offer the best of its extensive library at a knock-down price. Disney+ will not only be the home of the studio's blue-chip movies, but also host a number of exclusive TV series and pictures. For most households, the $7-per month will just about squeeze into the budget, but what does this mean for Netflix?
Disney+ adds 'The Simpsons' as a streaming exclusive
Among a flood of original and archived Disney programming coming to the Disney+ service when it launches November 12th, the company slipped in one last surprise from Fox: The Simpsons. Once the service launches, it will be the streaming home for all 30 seasons of the series. Right now, all episodes of The Simpsons are available via the FXX-linked Simpsons World site, and also stream on Hulu. Presumably that will change later this year, when they're locked into the $7-per-month Disney+ service, along with content from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and other Disney properties. Now that Disney owns Fox, we're not surprised to see it put the studio's gems to use, but it's just another reminder of how many big names are under that umbrella now. Other than The Simpsons, Disney+ will also feature some other "family-friendly" titles from Fox: Additionally, Disney+ announced that all 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available on the service on day one. In the service's first year, audiences will also have access to family-friendly Fox titles like The Sound of Music, The Princess Bride and Malcolm in the Middle as part of an impressive collection of more than 7,500 television episodes and 500 films including blockbuster hits from 2019 and beyond.
Disney+ will cost $6.99 per month, launches November 12th
After spending more than an hour laying out all of the content coming to Disney+ and showing off its apps, Disney revealed what we came to find out: the price. Disney+ will cost $6.99 per month, or on an annual basis for $69.99, and those interested can sign up for updates here. We also have a launch date, set for November 12th. Our other post runs down a lot of the content you can expect for that price, including many hours of high-profile selections across the Disney Signature, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic and even Disney Channel libraries. That's before we get into the original content, all seasons of The Simpsons, and potentially discounted price for people bundling a subscription with ESPN+ and Hulu. At the investor conference where Disney revealed all of these details, it also mentioned the expectation that Disney+ would lose as much as a billion dollars in 2020, with losses peaking between 2020 and 2022, before expected profitability in 2024. From the sound of things, the company is willing to lose all of that money to fight Netflix (and all other competitors) for several years, so at the least it could be a while before there are any price hikes. Netflix, by comparison, has over 139 million customers right now, but it's spending billions every year to produce original content, and has already had to raise prices for the last few years in a row. Now, the real fight is on.
Disney+ app and worldwide rollout plans revealed
In the fall of 2017 Disney announced plans for a subscription streaming service of its own that could compete with the likes of Netflix. Last fall, it revealed a name -- Disney+ -- and that it would launch in late 2019. Today we're finally getting more official information about what it's like as Disney makes a presentation for its investors explaining the company's overall internet video strategy, including ESPN+ and Hulu, which will "likely" be offered as part of a bundle at a discounted price. Update: After several hours, Disney finally revealed the price: $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, launching November 12th. We already know that the company's plans include plenty of expansions on content it owns from properties like Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars, as well as the Disney vault of well-loved family films. But what people are hoping to find out today is how much it will cost, how it will work and what, other than exclusives, it might use to draw customers who are already shelling out for one or more video subscriptions. Disney quickly revealed that all of the content on Disney+ will be ready for subscribers to download and view offline as long as they have a subscription. That's a feature Netflix only added in the last couple of years, and still doesn't apply to everything on its service. It's also going to support 4K and HDR video.
Disney will 'likely' offer a discounted Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu bundle
We haven't heard exactly how much Disney will charge for its streaming service, but at today's investor event its Direct to Consumer president Kevin Mayer announced an interesting note about its plans. Whatever it costs, you will "likely" be able to get a discount once it launches later this year by subscribing to a bundle of Disney+, the ESPN+ internet service and Hulu, which it now has a controlling stake in after the acquisition of Fox. That could be appealing to cord cutters, at the right price and with enough content, but without knowing more about Disney+ we're not sure. We should find out more information about the streaming service in just a few minutes. Update: After several hours, Disney finally revealed the price: $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
Hawkeye is the latest Avenger to reportedly get a Disney+ spinoff
Disney has a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe-adjacent shows in the works for its upcoming streaming platform, and it seems one of them is a limited Hawkeye series starring Jeremy Renner. The Disney+ show is reportedly an adventure series featuring Clint Barton (Renner) and Kate Bishop, a character from Marvel Comics who takes over the Hawkeye persona from him.
