Disney+, The Walt Disney Company's upcoming streaming service.
Mickey Mouse and his friends are knocking on Netflix’s door – or rather, looking to steamroll it down.
The Walt Disney Company’s highly anticipated streaming platform Disney+ will be released in Canada, as well as the United States and the Netherlands, on November 12.
The streaming platform will be the exclusive home of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic content in Canada.
The company says Disney+ will cost $8.99 per month, or $89.99 per year, in Canada; the streaming platform is $6.99 in the United States.
Disney has also promised to offer 4K resolution and simultaneous streaming up to four devices at no further cost. In comparison, Netflix offers the same option only as part of its premium subscription at $16.99 per month.
In the US, Disney will offer Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s basic ad supported option as a bundle at a discount for $12.99 a month, the bundle will not be available in Canada. Hulu is not accessible in Canada; much of its content is divided and distributed by multiple Canadian media companies.
In Canada, Netflix dominates the streaming market with Amazon Prime and Bell’s CraveTV, which has the rights to exclusively stream HBO, Showtime, Starz and Comedy Central content in Canada, being the other major competitors. However, the introduction of Disney+ will be a major game changer for streaming.
Disney is a brand beloved by people of all ages, generations and demographics; it is an entertainment staple for families with children.
Not only will Disney+ stream Disney’s entire library of film, television and animated content, and its Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Wars and Lucasfilm content, but could also be home to broadcast network ABC’s television series (Disney owns the network), including Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, The Good Doctor, and Lost.
The streaming platform will also have access to decades of classic films, franchises and television series, such as The Sound of Music, Die Hard and The Simpsons, through its 2017 purchase of the 20thCentury Fox film studio.
Disney+ will also release an enormous slate of original programming, including the Star Wars television series The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, a bevy of Marvel Cinematic Universe limited series, and Christmas comedy adventure Noelle, starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader.
The staggering amount of new and nostalgic content that will be available on Disney+ automatically makes it the 1000-ton gorilla in the streaming marketplace.
However, a valid question about Disney+ is whether the Canadian version of the streaming platform will mirror the American version, or if there will be restrictions or a smaller library of content.
One common complaint of Netflix users ever since the streaming service expanded into Canada is that its library is vastly inferior to that of Netflix in the United States.
Disney+ is The Walt Disney Company’s mic drop in the cutthroat world of streaming. Although film studios and media companies are finally entering the fray, with Apple+, HBOMax and NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock fast approaching, Disney+ may be shaping up to potentially unseat Netflix as everyone’s unmissable streaming platform to own.
