How Disney+ will Impact the Video Streaming Market

The streaming wars began a while ago, but now it’s the “Clash of the Titans” with Netflix and Disney going head-to-head for the crown.

Apple and Warner are joining in shortly, so there will be even more streaming options to choose from or maybe as some suggest, even more saturation in the market.

Disney+ launched on November 12th in the US and Canada, and through 2020 the rest of the world will see the service become available.

Things will never be the same.

Do you think I’m exaggerating? Keep reading and we’ll see.

What is Disney+?

Disney+ is Disney’s new streaming service that launched on November 12th 2019 in some regions containing most of Disney’s catalogue from past, present and future.

If we keep in mind that they own half of the entertainment industry, this includes not only Disney productions but Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic, and Fox as well.

Disney had an agreement with Netflix for a while and the streaming platform used to have Disney movies and TV series, Star Wars films, and Marvel movies along with some Marvel Netflix originals.

Disney was rumoured to have made an attempt at buying Netflix [1], but Netflix refused. This led the House of the Mouse to decide they need to create their own streaming service to compete with the current crown holder.

Disney put an end at the agreement with Netflix, at least in the US and Canada. Netflix still has some Disney content in other regions like Latin America and Europe, where Disney+ will launch next year.

A Saturated Market

Currently, the market is saturated with a lot of options.

A couple of years ago, when only Netflix dominated the streaming world, it was easy for people paying for it to leave behind their expensive cable subscription.

Today, things are very different.

With Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, and if you’re like me and you like anime, you must add Crunchyroll and Hidive, it’s almost impossible to pay for all.

Not at least because it’s damn expensive.

Now, Disney, Apple and Warner are entering the game, which means more options and more money to spend, making streaming as expensive as a cable subscription.

How is Disney+ going to impact the growing streaming market?

Since Disney+ is going to have all Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Fox content exclusively, it means the rivals won’t be able to have any of this in their catalogue and the impact is going to be huge.

According to Netflix, they’re going to keep being the king of the hill in the streaming world, but they would need to work hard to convince the audience to continue their subscriptions.

Disney+ is offering all these I mentioned above for a lower fee than Netflix. $6.99 vs $13.99.

They also are offering some package combinations with Hulu and ESPN.

If you have kids at home, having Disney series and movies available for streaming is a must. They still have the crown on family entertainment.

If you’re a Marvel or Star Wars fan, then Disney+ will be your paradise because they’re making new series and movies exclusively for the streaming service.

The whole Fox catalogue including all The Simpsons seasons is worth it alone.

Netflix and Amazon Prime should review their strategies, and maybe their fees to make things easier for the audience at the moment of choosing and keeping their memberships.

What will happen to Hulu?

Hulu is only available in the US and Japan, and it has always been famous for being expensive.

Even paying a subscription you don’t free yourself from ads.

Right now, Hulu is owned 60% by Disney [2]. Disney entered in the stake partnership a while ago with a 30%, but after buying 21st Century Fox, they acquired the other 30%.

I don’t think Disney will shut down Hulu for the time being, because it’s a service aiming at a different audience. However, they probably won’t have any interest in making it grow beyond the US and Japanese borders and Disney+ is pushed as their focus.

What will happen with Marvel Netflix Original series?

Nothing, they’re dead for now. The affair that lasted for more than four years is over.

The five original Marvel series, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher, were cancelled without having a true ending.

At least, it was an interesting experiment that spawned five top-quality superhero series.

In the meantime, Disney was busy producing Runaways for Hulu, based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name and set in the MCU.

Right now, they’ve got an interesting list of titles for exclusive TV series for Disney+ such as Loki, Ms Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Hawkeye, and What If.

Regarding the Marvel Netflix series, it’s still uncertain if they will remain in Netflix or if they will migrate to Disney+.

Conclusion

Being comfortable in the peak of popularity could be intoxicating.

Netflix shows itself confident they’re going to remain being the king of streaming even after the Disney+ release.

But this confidence could also be  a hint of nervousness before the prospect that more competition means looking for new strategies.

Disney+ is a big move from the House of the Mouse, not only because they’re going to enter new territory, the streaming market, but the amount of money this project has required.

Everything indicates this new service will be a worldwide success, and probably the crown will be shared for a while. But at the same time, it’s a risky move in an already saturated market.

The audience will have the last word in this streaming war. After all, they’re the ones who pay for the services.

What are your thoughts on the situation? Will you subscribe to a few services or just one? If so, which? Let me know in the comments section below.

Sources

1. Variety | Netflix Investors Apparently Excited Over Disney Acquisition Rumor
2. Wikipedia | Hulu

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