Disney+ is an upcoming American subscription video-on-demand service owned and operated by the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International division of The Walt Disney Company. It is set to launch in Canada, the United States and the Netherlands on November 12, 2019.
With a plethora of streaming services currently available, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Go and now the launch of The Disney Plus. The streaming war is in full swing. The big question is, who will be taking the allocated streaming service portion from your household budget.
Disney+ looks to be one of the best streaming services, at least for families. Its primary weapon is the massive library of Disney films and TV shows, and the studio will be supporting those with new original programming based on its biggest properties, such as Star Wars and Marvel.
So is this the beginning of the end for Netflix, possibly not but according to Techradar.com quoting Stephan Paternot, CEO of film finance marketplace Slated “Disney will probably utterly dominate across the board”, due to the strength of its various subsidiary services like ESPN.
“It’s simply breathtaking how well-positioned they are with ESPN (leader in live sports), Disney+ (a deep, and growing library of the biggest family-friendly franchise brands of all time), and Hulu.”
Again quoting Techradar on the streaming wars – “Netflix will likely keep the edge with its sheer number of titles, and therefore more likelihood of having something for each of its users. Even with Disney’s various acquisitions, Disney Plus is likely to be more of a niche proposition, and if you’re not a die-hard Marvel fan or a parent needing some distracting Disney cartoons, it’s hard to see Disney Plus becoming part of your daily routine in the same way as Netflix.”
But what about us in Mzansi, where are we in the streaming wars, we already have Mutlichoice’s Showmax with plenty of licensed international shows and content. What does the launch of DisneyPlus in November 2019 mean to us? Is it going to be another case of a limited library for some of these services due to geo-licensing constraints?
On the local content front, Netflix, Showmax and Viu seem to be going head to head in producing new local content for their respective streaming platforms, which can only mean good things for the South African film industry and the consumer at large.
Let me know what you think, where is your money going? I am on Twitter at @thabomogaswa or @mzansiurban.