The Walt Disney Company has announced the forthcoming launch of its own Disney+-branded streaming service.
The service will be available to users on a monthly subscription, the cost of which will be $6.99 per month. Thus, at the time of launch, the service will be almost half the price of the market-leading Netflix ($12.99 per month). An annual subscription is even cheaper for Disney+ customers at $69.99, which is the price of 10 months.
The official launch of the new service in the US is scheduled for November 12, 2019. Within two years, the company plans to bring the new service to all key global markets. Disney promises its customers a package of new and classic TV shows and movies from some of the world's most popular entertainment franchises. In addition to its own movies and TV shows, the company will add Pixar cartoons, Star Wars episodes, a host of Marvel Movies, and a complete archive of 30 seasons of The Simpsons to the subscription.
At launch, Disney+ subscribers will have access to 400 films, as well as 7,500 episodes of 25 original series. Some of the studio's new films will be added to the app, including a remake of Lady and the Tramp. New releases will appear in the subscription shortly after their release on the big screens.
The content will be available on Smart TVs, as well as personal computers, smartphones, game consoles and tablets. The company also announced that it has reached an agreement with Roku Inc. and Sony Corp. about the start of distribution of the service on streaming and game consoles.
In 2020 Disney plans to invest about $1 billion in the creation of its own content, and over the next three years - another $1 billion. The company expects that by 2024 the total number of subscribers to the streaming service will reach 60-90 million people.