Disney has confirmed that it will be launching its streaming service Disney+ in the UK on the 24th March. It will be launching in Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland all on the same day. In late 2019 Disney+ launched its service in the US.
Alongside Disney+, Apple has also launched Apple TV+ to offer streaming services. The UK will also benefit from BritBox which will have British classics to stream.
How much will these services cost?
Disney+ will be priced in the UK at £5.99 per month which is on-par with Netflix's cheapest plan. Apple TV+ is priced at £4.99 per month, BritBox is priced at £5.99 per month. Now TV's entertainment package is £8.99 per month, while Amazon Prime, which includes free deliveries on purchased products, is £7.99 per month.
This sudden interest and surge of investment in streaming services is largely down to intellectual property. In the past big production companies would have sold the rights to their TV and films to the likes of Netflix. This is a costly affair and it is understandable big production companies now want to capitalise on the lucrative business and go it alone. For example WarnerMedia ended its £100m deal with Netflix, so that they could exclusively offer ‘Friends’ to their HBO Max subscribers.
Will Disney+ have an advantage over other streaming services?
Key advantages include Disney having access to its vast back catalogue of movies and shows, remember it also owns Pixar, Marvel Studies (superhero movies), and LucasFilm (Star Wars). Beyond the big screen, Disney also owns TV stations ABC, ESPN, and has a sizable stake in 21st century Fox.
We also know that some of the content that will be available on its basic plan will be 4K, however this has not been confirmed for the UK yet. This could be a massive pull as viewers strive for high quality content.
Should other streaming services be worried?
It appears so far that Disney’s streaming strategy seems to be working in the US. According to analytics firm Sensor Tower it has been estimated that the Disney+ app has been downloaded over 40 million times across Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store, potentially earning it £74m. Whilst these figures don’t equate to actual paying subscribers, it does indicate a promising start for Disney+ global streaming ambitions.
Disney+ will add fierce competition to the mix, given the strength of its brand and the level of content it already owns. Other streaming services will really have to up their game in order to survive and see continued growth.
Only time will tell, but it seems the shake-up will definitely change the dynamic of the industry. Either way it will surely mean that there is increased entertainment choice for the end consumer.
