Disney’s new take on the online-media-streaming phenomenon has landed. Yes, the Disney+ streaming service is finally here! Similar to the likes of Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Netflix, Disney+ is Disney’s new on-demand service. It offers up a huge library of both TV shows and movies.
Much like the competition, the service comes at a monthly fee. It allows users to stream any of this media from a range of compatible devices. The Disney+ streaming service launched on November 12th, 2019. Users had been eagerly awaiting it for years, wondering if it could possibly live up to the hype.
At the moment, Disney+ is only available in a few select counties. This includes the Netherlands, the U.S. and Canada. Over the next few months it’ll be launching in more locations across the globe. Despite it not having nearly as much content as platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, what Disney+ does have are the exclusive rights to allow streaming of many of Disney’s hit films, from a couple of years to several decades ago.
And since Disney has purchased Star Wars and Marvel, it’ll also be the home to many future projects being based out of these universes. In short, it has loads to offer that the competition won’t be able to.
Supported Devices
As you could expect, Disney+ is available for a range of different devices and interfaces.
It’s currently available for:
- iOS & Apple TV
- Google Chromecast
- Android & Android TV
- Sony’s PlayStation 4
- Microsoft’s Xbox One
- Certain Amazon Fire TV devices
- Samsung & LG Smart TVs
If you currently own any of the streaming devices that have the Apple TV App integrated into them, you’ll be able to subscribe to Disney+ within that interface. And you can use that device to enjoy all of your content, quickly and efficiently.
Pricing
This was the big question on everyone’s lips prior to release. The answer hasn’t given much surprise or disappointment. Disney+ is just $7 a month – or $70 for a year’s subscription (saving you two months cost). For that, you get completely ad-free streaming of all the content that’s available.
The only adverts you’ll see are banner ads on the front page for ‘Starz’ the streaming service. There have been some complications with copyright between Disney and Starz, and this is supposedly the compromise the two struck together. But, contrary to popular belief, Disney+ isn’t actually Disney’s only streaming service. Disney owns Hulu as well! This means that you can get Disney+ as a Hulu addon.
Although this won’t save you any money, it’ll mean that you can watch all your Disney+ shows through Hulu. This will save you the complication of changing between apps for different shows. It just makes things a little more convenient than having Hulu and the Disney+ streaming service completely separate. As well as this, there’s also a bulk deal for $13 per month, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Getting these in the bundle ends up being $5 cheaper than buying them separately. Not much of a saving, but a saving nonetheless!
What’s Included?
Again, another question that’s been on many people’s minds. There’s no doubt it won’t offer as much range as other services, but how much of Disney’s huge back catalog will be included in the streaming service?
Well, a lot. From old-time classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo and The Jungle Book, to more modern films like Noelle and The Lady and the Tramp (remake). It also includes nearly every Star Wars film and show, as well as old Marvel comic movies. What’s not to love?! In terms of the recent Marvel superhero phenomenon – well, Disney+ has sixteen Marvel movies (yes, sixteen!) with more yet to come next year. This delay is due to licensing agreements with other streaming services.
For more information on this, feel free to check out some of the forums online which give a complete overview of Disney+’s library, and all the shows and movies you’re guaranteed to be able to watch on the platform. After the copyright and licensing agreements expire, you can expect every piece of Disney, Star Wars and Marvel content to be available on the platform. There are a few exceptions, due to the nature of some of the old films. Some of them have racist-themed scenes and suggestions. But in short, if you’re a Disney fan, it’s unlikely that you’ll be disappointed.
New Disney Shows
But Disney+ isn’t just about bringing old movies and TV shows into the modern streaming world. It’s also a platform for Disney to release new shows that aren’t quite suitable for cinema. Shows like Star Wars’ The Mandalorian, and Marvel’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are made exclusively for Disney+ and will, therefore, be going straight to the platform.
Even films like the 1993 classic Hocus Pocus is said to be having a remake going straight to Disney+. But this is yet to be officially confirmed. Although films like Star Wars: Episode IX, and Frozen 2 will still hit cinemas, they’re likely to be put on Disney+ exclusively for the remainder of their life. So, unless you buy the DVD, Disney+ streaming service is the only place you’ll be able to access them.
The show that looks best in our eyes has to be the new show set in the Star Wars universe – the Mandalorian. Star Wars’ first ever live-action series follows an intergalactic gunslinger as he roams across the galaxy on a series of adventures. Where the story will unfold is unknown to most, but the first season has already received great praise, and shows great promise for the show’s future.
High-Quality Video and Audio
Disney+ boasts fantastic audio and video quality for the media it has available. Not only have many of the older films been remastered to really maximize the crisp visuals and smooth sound that modern technology can offer, but many of the shows are available in both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. This allows users watch the best picture quality their devices are capable of.
Although these aren’t exactly revolutionary in the streaming world – Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have had similar such features for a while now – this means that all your old favorites, such as the original Star Wars trilogy, Marvel’s phase one films, as well as any of the old, Disney classics, can be shown in a quality never seen before. Some even up to 4K!
Not only this, but for those who are used to sharing accounts with family members or friends, Disney+’s basic membership for $7 a month allows up to four users to stream simultaneously. So, you’ll definitely be covered.
How Big Can Disney+ Get?
There’s no doubt that Disney+’s first few months would be its biggest in terms of growth. Avid Disney, Star Wars and Marvel fans have been waiting literally years for the service to come out. As of now, Disney+ has over 10 million subscribers.
Combined with subscribers of EPSN+ and Hulu, this would bring Disney’s streaming base to well over 50 million. That’s a lot of people! The big hope from most people is that, with such huge growth, Disney won’t decide to make streaming more difficult or more expensive. But if Netflix and Amazon’s success is anything to go by, they’ll learn that if they treat their customers well, they’re likely to stay for a long time.
What’s Not Included?
Although it’s clear that Disney+ is going to – if not immediately – host a huge library of content, both modern and of some age, there’s still plenty of things that it unfortunately won’t include. Due to some copyright disagreements, Netflix’s live-action Marvel shows that are currently running will soon be brought to their end. They won’t continue on Disney+.
This is something that plenty of fans are sure to be disappointed about. As well as this, because Disney has always been known as a family-friendly company prioritizing this type of content over any other, any R-rated content won’t be being brought to Disney+ streaming service. All shows of this nature will be directed to Hulu instead.
It also goes without saying that any movies that are in cinemas won’t be released on Disney+ at the same time. As usual, users will have to wait for these movies to leave theatres before being brought to the platform a few months later. This is to be expected, but is something that has surprised a few fans.
Have you tried out Disney+ streaming service? If so, what did you think? Drop a comment below to let us know your thoughts too!
