Disney’s move into the streaming industry is expected to launch globally in November and there is a list of exciting content to look forward to. The streaming platform, which will be dubbed Disney+, will rival companies like Netflix. Disney+ is not keeping the launch lineup secret.
The company used a large Twitter thread to announce the launch and also reveal some of the titles that will be available to US customers. There were, of course, some obvious titles that we all expected. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Three Men and a Baby, and Frozen are all going to be part of the launch line-up next month.
Other titles to look forward to include the Three Musketeers, Fantasia, and Swiss Family Robinson. Disney+ will also be airing a number of popular TV shows as part of the launch. Lizzie McGuire, animated series X-Men, and Recess will all be featured.
However, it is important to note that most of these titles are from Disney’s back catalog. Despite this, you will still get a few originals in there too. The Mandalorian, a Star Wars live-action spinoff is a great addition to the list. High School Musical: The Series and The Lady and the Tramp live-action remake will also be airing on the streaming platform.
Disney has said that Disney+ is designed for whole-family viewing. It’s no surprise that most of the titles coming to the platform are all family-friendly shows with some nostalgic feel to them. The US line-up is however slightly different compared to what European subscribers will be getting.
There are a few distribution hurdles since Disney had already sold distribution rights to other streaming platforms before launching its own service. The company is currently working on getting back these titles leased to other streamers in an effort to boost its catalog of content moving forward.
This is also the reason why popular titles like Iron Man 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming will not be available for the launch. Despite this, there is still a massive variety of content to watch on Disney+. It seems like Disney has put together everything in its catalog.
We have movies going as far back as the 1960s available on the platform. In addition to this, content available on the platform will be divided into 7 distinct sections to make it easier for users to find what they like. These categories include Disney Films, Disney Channel Originals, Star Wars, National Geographic, Disney Animation, Pixar, and Marvel.
There is also the small matter of the price. When it launches in November, Disney+ will be starting at just $6.99 a month. This is considerably cheaper compared to Netflix, the biggest streaming service right now.
Although Netflix too has its own catalog of exciting original programming and licensed content, the relatively high price may be a problem with the entrance of Disney+. Nonetheless, it’s still too early to know how competition in the online streaming industry will shape up over the coming years – Amazon Prime Video is also coming into play with an arguably more limited catalogue for the moment, but much lower price for a number of other benefits.
It seems Netflix is still winning in sheer user-base alone, but things are bound to change in the following months.
