With the goal to rival streaming behemoths Hulu, Amazon and Netflix, Disney+ is now live (launched November 12th). A Whole New World for Disney and streaming aficionados.
Disney has now launched its first streaming content service Disney+. The platform is home to Disney’s renowned animation, CGI live-action films and shows dating back decades – a cornucopia of creative content. Original content will also be provided for loyal subscribers.
Now available in Australia and New Zealand, Disney + brings over 600 films including the Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar franchises. Star Wars series The Mandalorians and new Marvel series like WandaVision are some of the most highly anticipated Disney shows to hit the new streaming service. Starting from the 22nd of November, new episodes will debut on Fridays at 7:01pm to be exact in Australia.
So how much does a Disney Plus subscription cost? $8.99 per month or $89.99 a year. Compared to Netflix, this is cheaper than Netflix’s starting subscription price of $9.99 per month, proving a strong competitive advantage. However, Apple TV Plus and Amazon Prime subscriptions are still cheaper at $7.99 a month to $6.99 a month respectively.
Live-action remakes of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and the Lady and the Tramp are also on offer on the new Disney+ Streaming Service. A smart incentive by Disney’s strategists to encourage people to sign up to the new Disney+ streaming service.
If nostalgia has not yet kicked in, Disney + allows you to access classics such as Beauty in the Beast, Pixar iconic films such as Monsters Inc. as well as the infamous Kim Possible and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody from the Disney Channel. Translating these Disney iconic classics to a streaming platform allows potential new revenue opportunities for a new market demographic, memorialising Disney for prosperity.
The saying ‘Adapt or Die’ rings true for Disney. With the surge of popularity of Netflix in 2015, Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive called into action a shift towards future streaming opportunities for Disney, a risky but necessary venture.
Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company said in a statement:
“The launch of Disney+ is a historic moment for our company that marks a new era of innovation and creativity.”
Streaming is the current and future wave for an entertainment conglomerate such as Disney. According to the Motion Picture Association of America in the New York Times, there were 613 million US streaming subscribers. This surpassed cable subscribers for the first time (total of 556 million cable subscribers).
Unfortunately, the flagship Disney + launch was remiss in ensuring a fluid, seamless launch. An influx of unsettling complications such as crashes and hacking stifled the success of the launch. Taking a backseat watching the unfolding events of the launch, it is apparent that the entertainment conglomerate was not entirely ready for the launch.
Especially when one considers the years of development, budget and planning that would have been undertaken to ensure a seamless, progressive launch. Ever since the launch, people have been experiencing technical difficulties within hours. Complaints ranged from service error, to weird aspect ratios displaying Disney animations such as The Simpsons.
PHENOMENAL COSMIC LIBRARY/itty bitty server capacity pic.twitter.com/uBj9WZJORe
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 12, 2019
Low and behold, the scandalous doomsday nightmare that no tech company would ever wish of dealing with came to fruition. Sources reported of hackers obtaining the personal identification and accounts of Disney+ users. An invasion of privacy. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, accounts were hacked and sold for a sheer $4.40 on online forums, creating havoc for users not being able to log back into their accounts as well as the classic issue of stolen identity.
A recommendation for improvement could be the inclusion of a multi-factor authentication to confirm identity or a code that is sent to one’s text or email. Sadly, Disney+ customer support has not been able to cope with the biblical flood of complaint messages from customers. As stated by Niels Schweisshelm, the technical program manager of HackerOne,
“It’s no surprise that cybercriminals jump on the same bandwagon as everyone else when there’s a big new consumer launch”
Despite a few quandaries on Disney + regarding the absence of a ‘continue watching’ feature, which basically means not being able to see the current movies you’ve started or finished (Netflix provides this feature) and hacks preying on vulnerable customers with the whole hacking debacle, Disney’s kingdom still reigns strong as it waves its magical wand for new innovations and revenue opportunities. The days of Netflix’s universal monopoly are over with Disney +, if they get around to fixing those glitches, that is.
Plus, let’s look at the bright side. Disney+ has more movies on offer for Australians than what’s available in the U.S. Aussies rejoice! So, why do Aussies get more options? Gizmodo reached out to Disney in which they confirmed that the bounteous options are in relation to Disney’s licensing agreements.
Even though Disney’s a laggard to the streaming game, its cultural status and reputation alone will serve in the long run, catering for all generations. It’s a booming time for Disney lovers both young and old.
What are your thoughts on Disney+? Let us know in the comments below!
