Image: Disney
As many await the arrival of a new streaming service era of media, companies such as Disney have been putting in new tactics to try to separate themselves from its competition. Many are familiar with streaming platform giants Netflix and Hulu which pushed the industry towards a “cord-cutting” environment. In other words many are leaving their traditional cable and satellite television packages and using streaming services to access their favorite television series, movies, live TV, games, etc. Media companies such as the Walt Disney Corporation, WarnerMedia, and Apple have followed in the footsteps of this shift and are releasing their own streaming platforms in the next coming months.
Disney+ in particular, which is set to release on November 12, is gaining wide spread attention and could potentially become a top contending steaming platform in the industry. Recently the company announced that they will be offering a preorder promotion for the standalone app which includes a seven day free trial. The free trial will actually begin on the release date of the service and following that subscribers will pay a price of $6.99 a month ($69.99 per year)
The preview site advises those who want the app “as part of a $12.99-per-month bundle with Hulu and ESPN+ to wait until November 12 to sign up” (Disney+). This preorder and bundle reflects similar prices of other streaming services in the industry leaving it entirely up to the consumers the platform they wish to use and the content they feel as though they want to be paying a low monthly fee for.
Disney+ representatives believe their streaming service will have an edge in the field and attraction to new consumers because of the platform’s stress on “the best stories in the world from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.” Additionally, subscribers will have the capabilities of having unlimited downloads, simultaneous streaming on a maximum of four different devices, and up to seven profiles.
Disney+ is entering the streaming world in November confident that they will be part of the 2 to 3 monthly subscriptions that the average viewer is paying for each month as the cord-cutting shift grows stronger. Disney in particular compared to its competition also has a vast library of original content to offer that other services will not be able to have as contracts expire such as Disney Studios, 21st Century Fox, Marvel, Lucasfilm, etc.
News stories such as Dinsey+ offering promotions like early preorders is just the beginning of the wave of options and outreaches to media consumers to try out new streaming platforms. For the past couple of years Hulu and Netflix have been the dominant streaming services in the industry but as their contracts run out for content from other media companies such as WarnerMedia and Disney, these companies are looking to dip their feet in the large profit as well.
The real question that remains is as households switch from cable to streaming for their media needs, how many subscriptions will they be paying a month and most importantly which platforms will they choose? Will streaming platforms work together and accept customers using multiple platforms or will they try to offer one entire package to fit all of a specific individuals needs?
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Current Issues In Media Management 