Alton Worley II | Staff Writer
Disney will release its own streaming service called “Disney+” this fall on all platforms, and it is expected to compete with other streaming services already on the market.
The streaming service became available for preorder during the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 22, and a seven-day free trial was offered. The complete service will launch Nov. 12, the Associated Press reported. Customers will have a choice between a monthly subscription on $6.99 and a yearly subscription of $69.99 that will automatically renew with the option to cancel anytime, the company announced. Disney+ will be available on most Smart TVs, smartphones, laptops, tablets and gaming consoles commercial-free and in high definition.
“Stream thousands of movies and series the world loves the most” the service’s website said when describing the library they plan to have.
The Disney+ library will feature films from multiple Disney properties such as Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and the infamous Disney Vault. In light of Disney’s acquisition of Fox Entertainment, properties from 21st Century Fox will also be included in the streaming service’s library. Films such as The Sound of Music and television shows such as The Simpsons will appear as well.
Disney also announced there will be feature films and television shows made exclusively for the streaming service and its subscribers. They will be called “Disney+ Originals.” Within the first year of service, Disney plans to release more than 20 original television series and 10 original films, as well as documentaries. Once a subscription is purchased, the content on the streaming service will be available to download on devices.
Although Disney+ is among one of the many new streaming services becoming available in the next few months, there are other companies who are creating their own as well.
Apple has created its own streaming service, deemed “Apple+”, which will launch a few before Disney’s on Nov. 1, coming in at $4.99 a month.
In Spring 2020, HBO is launching “HBO Max” and NBC Universal Studios is launching “Peacock.” All of these streaming services will feature the original series as well.
With Disney taking all of their properties off of other streaming services and ending their contracts, some people are upset.
“It’s annoying because now I can watch some Disney shows on Netflix, but if they take all their shows to this Disney+, I’ll end up having to pay for another subscription just to watch,” said Jade Young, a Hampton University sophomore psychology major from New Jersey.
The announcement caught several students by surprise.
“I feel like it’s unnecessary, greedy, and I don’t like it,” said Baltimore native and HU journalism major Morgan Ferguson. “I feel like it’s a money grab.”
Looking at it from a different perspective, HU sophomore Jayla Myrick saw this as just another Netflix type.
“I feel like Disney having their own version of Netflix is uncreative and pointless because the people that watched the old version of Disney are not going to be interested,” Myrick said. “Plus, there are already some Disney movies on Netflix, so why pay for two subscriptions when I can pay for one and get a better outcome.”
In comparison to Netflix, it would seem Disney+ offers more for a much lower price. The basic Disney+ plan comes in at around $7 per month and offers consumers up to four simultaneous streams in 4K HDR – depending on streaming device capabilities – and up to six different user profiles to use. Netflix’s basic plan lacks in comparison as it comes in at about $9 per month and offers streaming on one device and only in standard definition. The closest plan that Netflix offers that would be similar to Disney+’s basic plan is its “Premium” plan, which costs consumers $16 per month and offers the same qualities of Disney+’s basic plan just with a bigger library.
The Hampton Script 