Disney Plus brought back a lot of oldies, but will they continue to be goodies?
It is wild to think that Disney Plus is celebrating its turn six month anniversary after it was launched in November 2019. So far, this video streaming service is not doing so bad considering some its competition has been around for over a decade. Today, Disney+ is one of the most used streaming services along with Netflix, introduced in 2007, Amazon Prime Video, debuted as Amazon Unbox in 2006, and Hulu, launched in 2008.
Looking at Disney historically, it was one of the early pioneers to produce animated films that we have grown watching and loving. Disney is definitely known for creating iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse and Friends, and Disney Princesses like Cinderella, Aurora and Belle. Since its first early films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney continues to entertain children and adults by making animated and live-action films.
Disney+ contains TV shows and movies from Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television. Contents from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox are just few of the big names that Disney+ subscribers can stream. The platform offers series such as The Toy Story, The Lion King, Star Wars, and the Marvel hit, The Avengers. Disney Channel classics like Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and That’s So Raven are included as well.
Just like many of the streaming services, Disney+ has produced shows exclusively for its subscribers like the Diary of a Future President and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. According to IGN, the Disney+ series The Mandalorian even beat Netflix’s Stranger Things for the spot of most in-demand streaming show just after its third episode, with the help of baby Yoda.
CNet states that Disney and Netflix were partners from 2016-2019. Since the development and launching of Disney+, Disney has separated from Netflix and certain movies have disappeared from the platform, making their way to Disney’s streaming service. Due to licensing agreements, there are movies technically owned by Disney that are still offered on Netflix and other services. Tarzan is set to arrive on Disney+ in June 2020, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and The Incredibles 2 in July 2020. More shows, series and movies will begin to be released onto Disney+ as various contracts expire.
After its first day of launching, Disney+ received at least ten million subscribers, and has now surpassed 28 million subscribers, according to Business Insider. Today, Netflix has 182.8 million subscribers since it was introduced back in 2007, compared to the 50 million Disney+ currently holds.
Before becoming a video streamed service, Netflix was mainly a DVD rental service. With Disney’s reputation of making great movies and shows, there is no doubt that 13 years from now it could be close to having as many subscribers as Netflix, if not more. Disney+ could be just a start of something new for Disney.
