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Disney channels are back on Spectrum after 12-day standoff
Disney channels are back on Spectrum after a 12-day blackout. A deal between Disney and Charter will see subscribers gaining access to ESPN's streaming service, plus the ad-supported Disney+ tier.
Disney+ launches $8 ad-supported plan, raises price on ad-free streaming
Unless you switch to a bundle, you'll now need to pay $11 per month to watch Disney+ without ads.
ESPN+ is raising the price of a monthly plan by $3 to $10
As of August 23rd, the annual plan will increase from $70 to $100 as well.
ESPN+ subscriptions are getting a price increase on August 13th
For the second time in the span of less than a year, the price of ESPN+ is increasing.
ESPN+ will stream a Marvel-themed NBA game on May 3rd
Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans players will battle to become Marvel's first champion.
Disney+ and ESPN+ are coming to Comcast Xfinity set-top boxes
Both services should be available to all X1 and Flex subscribers in the coming weeks.
Paramount+ will stream Serie A soccer in the US starting next season
ViacomCBS snatched the rights away from ESPN+.
ESPN+ live sports and originals are now available on Hulu
You'll be able to buy UFC pay-per-views through Hulu this summer.
ESPN+ lands Belgium Pro League rights to boost its soccer lineup
You can catch some USMNT members in action on the regular.
All of Disney's streaming services are booming
Just about six months after the company announced it had over 100 million streaming video subscribers, Disney has revealed it has almost that many on Disney+ alone.
The ESPN+ annual subscription is going up by $10
UFC pay-per-views will also cost $5 more on the streaming service.
Disney prepares to reveal more about its streaming plans post-'Mulan'
Back in October, Disney announced a “strategic reorganization” that gave higher priority to streaming, it said we’d find out more at an investor’s meeting on December 10th. Today is the day, with the four-hour event scheduled to begin at 4:30 PM ET.
ESPN+ will be the exclusive home of some ESPN studio shows
ESPN+ is already one of the better deals out there for sports fans — soccer fans have it particularly good, but there’s a lot there regardless of your interests for $6 a month. ESPN regularly adds new content, and following its corporate parent’s edict to focus on supporting subscription streaming, it’s announcing a pretty major update. As of Monday, November 9th, a handful of ESPN studio shows will be exclusive to ESPN+.
Disney announces a 'strategic reorganization' to focus on streaming
Today Disney unveiled a new corporate structure that divides its content business into three groups that are “responsible and accountable for producing and delivering content for theatrical, linear and streaming, with the primary focus being the Company’s streaming services.” After assembling a warchest of content production with ESPN, ABC, Fox, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Marvel and of course its own Disney properties, the point of the new structure is figuring out the best way to distribute it all. Former president of Consumer Products, Games and Publishing Kareem Daniel has been promoted to oversee the new media distribution group.
Verizon's Mix & Match wireless plans add more Disney streaming
Verizon's updated Mix & Match wireless plans are still the same price, but now you can get ESPN+ and Hulu streaming included along with Disney+ on some of them. The Just Kids plan includes wireless streaming, and its Do More Unlimited package is no longer capped at 480p for video.
ESPN+ will be $1/month more expensive for new subscribers
Existing members won't pay more for at least a year.
Disney CEO Bob Iger steps down after getting Disney+ off the ground
After guiding Disney through the acquisition of Fox and launching its direct-to-consumer efforts that center around Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, CEO Bob Iger is stepping down from his post. "Effective immediately," former Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek is taking over and will report to Iger while he serves as executive chairman and leads "creative endeavors" through the end of his contract next year. In a statement announcing the move, Iger said ""With the successful launch of Disney's direct-to-consumer businesses and the integration of Twenty-First Century Fox well underway, I believe this is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO." As far as Chapek's experience, he's worked there for more than two decades, and the press release notes that he spearheaded the infamous "Disney Vault" strategy for handling its iconic films as they were released for home viewing on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. Asked on a call with investors about the timing of the move, Iger said that it made sense to turn over day-to-day management of the company to Chapek so that he can use his remaining time to focus on creative aspects of the company. According to him, the move wasn't accelerated "for any particular reason." With Chapek continuing to report to Iger, it doesn't seem like things materially change at Disney much right now, but the move is announced right after the company revealed Disney+ has already grown to over 26 million subscribers. It's also preparing to launch widely in Europe, and we're still months out from the arrival of The Mandalorian season two and tons of Baby Yoda merchandise.
Disney+ has already netted 28.6 million subscribers
Disney's start on direct-to-customer streaming came out of the gate with the bang, as the company reported it had 26.5 million paid subscribers for Disney+ (PDF) by the end of 2019. ESPN+ grew to 6.6 million subscribers from 1.4 million last year, while Hulu has 30 million customers total, with 3.2 million of them signing up for live TV services. On a call with investors, CEO Bob Iger reported that Disney+ is still growing, and is up to 28.6 million customers worldwide as of Monday. Iger also announced that Disney+ will launch in India via the company's HotStar service and said Hulu could launch internationally in 2021. On the call with investors, Iger specified that season two of The Mandalorian will debut in October, as well as shows the MCU shows it featured in Super Bowl ads. Falcon and the Winter Soldier will launch in August, and Wandavision arrives in December. He also said that the Star Wars show will run beyond two seasons, with a possibility of "infusing it with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series." Executives said they don't expect the next "significant" domestic growth to happen until those series launch. According to the CEO, people weren't just watching the viral series, with over 65 percent of viewers watching ten other things on the platform. Interestingly, he also said that the current priority of Star War is TV as opposed to theatrical releases.
Hulu CEO steps down as it integrates with Disney's streaming plans
Now that Hulu is part of Disney's streaming triumvirate with ESPN+ and Disney+, there's a reorganization at the top and Randy Freer will step down from his role as CEO. He took over in late 2017, but now it will join the others under direct oversight from Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International chairman Kevin Mayer. We'll see what changes come in the future for Hulu, as it previously stood alone as a rival to Netflix, but now is a part of a larger strategy. Disney CEO Bob Iger already announced plans for "FX on Hulu" programming that's overseen by FX boss John Landgraf, which came after Disney pulled the plug on a standalone FX streaming service. The Hollywood Reporter point out that Hulu's scripted original shows are overseen by Disney TV Studios chairman Dana Walden, while Deadline reports it's expected to hire a business leader to oversee the division.
Disney+ is boosting its library by running a Starz ad (update)
When you first launch Disney+ after it becomes available next early week, you might find something that wasn't supposed to be there. According to The Verge, the streaming service will show some subscribers an ad promoting premium TV channel Starz after they finish the initial sign-up process. Disney confirmed to Engadget that the one-time promo will be shown to some users once they finish signing up for the service and entering payment details.
