Disney +
Overdosing On Pixie Dust
November 12 is almost upon us, and while Netflix and Amazon Prime have virtually owned the streaming landscape for quite some time now, Disney + is set to shake up things up. With dozens of original shows as well as the entire Disney vault, Disney+ is the most anticipated and talked about streaming services ever and is aimed at every generation.
With just a few short days before it launches, here’s all you need to know about Disney’s new streaming service and why you need it!
What is it?
Unless you have been living under a rock, Disney + is the official streaming app for all things Disney. If it falls under the Disney brand, you can bet it will be found here. This includes movies from Pixar, Marvel Studios and of course the entire Star Wars universe. As if this wasn’t enough, Disney has also acquired the rights to most of Fox’s content, which includes NatGeo TV. How much content will be available at launch, in your area, remains to be seen, but based on what information has already been released, it is safe to say Netflix shareholders should be concerned.
Launch date, price, and availability
While Disney does intend to offer Disney+ globally its initially launching in the following markets:
- November 12, 2019 — Canada, United States, and the Netherlands
- November 19, 2019 — Australia and New Zealand
If you live in an area not listed above, then your waiting time for Disney + will vary. It will be interesting to see how Disney handles account holders accessing content from different parts of the world and if they will crackdown on VPN’s in a similar way as Netflix. For those of you living outside of the above-listed areas you can expect the following release dates:
- March 31, 2020 — United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain
- Early 2021 — Eastern Europe
- Mid 2020 through 2021 — Asia and Pacific countries.
- Mid 2021 — Latin America
Pricing of Disney+ varies depending on the market you are in, but Disney is offering both a monthly as well as a yearly subscription. Opting for the yearly subscription is essentially like paying for 10 months and getting an additional 2 months for free. Once your account is set up, you can set up to seven different profiles and stream on up to 4 different devices at one time.
Controls, platforms, and device limits
Since Disney + is marketed towards all generations, there will be some content that will not be appropriate for younger viewers. Since Disney + owned by Disney, expect there to be plenty of profile-based parental controls to keep content appropriate for each viewer.
Downloads for offline viewing has been set at 10 devices per account. For most families, this should not be an issue, but larger families may keep this limit in mind and monitor how many devices they currently have and intend to use.
With the weight of Disney behind a streaming service like Disney+ you had to know that it is going to be available on a wide variety of platforms. Disney has reached distribution agreements with Amazon, Samsung, LG, Apple, and Microsoft so that by the initial launch date, Disney+ apps will be available for Amazon Fire, LG Smart and Samsung Smart TV’s. If you don’t have one of these devices, fear not because the app will also be available on the following devices:
- Amazon Fire TV devices
- Android phones, tablets, and TV devices
- Android-based Sony TVs
- Apple iOS phones, tablets, and Apple TV
- Desktop web browsers
- Google Chromecast
- LG smart TVs
- Playstation 4
- Roku
- Samsung smart TVs
- Xbox One
What to expect for content at launch
Disney has always flaunted its Vault as having extensive and exclusive content and the majority of it will be available on Disney+. While content will vary somewhat depending on the market you live in you can expect shows and films from the likes of Fox, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and National Geographic. All told there should be around 500 different movies as well as over 7500 television episodes to binge off of. For a complete list of available content, at least in the US, click here.
