Disney+ launched! Time for a review against Netflix, Amazon, and Apple TV+. The streaming service includes Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. Unfortunately, it’s only available in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands, but it will be rolling out to other countries over time, but despite that, disney+ has surpassed 10 million subscribers already - and they did it in the first day - that’s 25% more than Disney expected to have by the end of 2019.
Probably Disney+’s most impressive attribute is its massive lineup of movies and tv shows in its library. You’ve got star wars old and new, iron man, avengers, avatar, and loads of movies from Disney’s vault and Disney Channel shows.
In a way Disney kind of has it all, On the one hand you have awesome, adult-friendly content with Marvel, Star Wars, and some newer movies, but, on the other, you have a lot of Disney content, which is primarily geared towards a younger audience.
Disney offers the service starting at 6.99, but you can also bundle it with Hulu and ESPN+ for 12.99. In both cases, you’ll be able to stream in 4K on up to 4 screens at a time. Compare that with Netflix, where you have to pay 15.99 for comparable streaming quality and number of screens. Also, since Disney actually owns Hulu now, this is where you’ll find it's more adult-friendly content so you might want to get the bundle, especially if you already have either Hulu or ESPN+. I actually don’t use either one, but I’ll probably keep Disney+ around anyway.
Taking a look at the competition, Apple is a strange competitor in the streaming wars because they’ve been in the iphone business for so long, but they’ve definitely invested heavily in this so far.
They’ve delivered 9 original titles at its launch a couple weeks ago and are planning to spend more than 5 billion on content. Amazon also has spent over 7 billion on original content this year for series like Jack Ryan and Carnival Row. Of course, Netflix has them beat at around 14 billion so far in 2019, but this doesn’t have Apple or Amazon worried.
See, unlike Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu, TV+ and Amazon aren’t interested in driving a lot of revenue with their respective services, but these services are really important to their business as it keeps people hooked in to their ecosystems. With the multiple services Amazon provides through Prime and through Apple’s bundle of Music, News+, Apple Arcade, and TV+, both companies are trying to sell you on the convenience of having everything in one place.
Apple is giving 1 year of Apple TV+ to anyone who buys a new or refurbished product. And through Apple’s sharing plans, those people can give away 5 free subscriptions to friends.
Despite the difference in strategies compared to Disney and Netflix, Apple and Amazon will continue to release great content so they’re definitely worth it, especially if you use any of the other bundled services.
Going back to Netflix for a second. On top of the award-winning original content already on the service, it will need to continue to release more and more great content to continue attracting new subscribers and to keep old ones interested. They created the bingle model and the strategy has worked well so far. Netflix has consistently grown subscribers every year and now has over 160 million. But the problem for Netflix is that it has stayed cheap for subscribers despite the massive increase in spending to sustain its content-driven business model. And where Netflix has to earn your subscription with every new show it releases, Disney has over 3000 hours of TV and 750 hours of movies you already know and love.
So should you get Disney+? I definitely plan to. As a service I think it’s going to only get better as they release new content and improve recommendations based on what you’ve previously watched. And because it's Disney, I plan to rewatch the Star Wars and Marvel movies in the meantime as well as a couple older Disney and Pixar favorites.
The new series The Mandalorian - Disney+’s flagship title - also looks really incredible. The world-building and mystery is all there. It’s got this feel of an old western style set and the soundtrack and characters are awesome. The first episode had me hooked, and I’m definitely looking forward to more episodes. So If you can’t tell, I’m pretty stoked about this particular series.
Disney’s also committed to 25 new TV series and 10+ movie specials, and at the price, I think you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. Disney+ released with a couple other new shows as well that you might really enjoy like a new high school musical and Lady and the Tramp. So to me, it’s already a pretty killer service, and it's only going to get better.
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