Disney+

**Disney+** (pronounced **Disney Plus**) is an upcoming over-the-top subscription video on-demand service owned and operated by the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International division of The Walt Disney Company. It is set to launch in the United States on November 12, 2019. It will be focused on film and television content from Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television. Original films and television series based on new and existing properties are also planned, including content from Disney, Blue Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox.

The service will compete with other video streaming subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and will complement ESPN+ and Hulu as part of its over-the-top strategy.

## History

In August 2016, Disney acquired a minority stake in BAMTech (a spin-out of MLB Advanced Media's streaming technology business) for $1 billion, with an option to acquire a majority stake in the future. Following the purchase, ESPN announced plans for an "exploratory [over-the-top] project" based on its technology (ESPN+) to supplant its existing linear television services. On August 8, 2017, Disney invoked its option to acquire a controlling stake in BAMTech for $1.58 billion, increasing its stake to 75%. Alongside the acquisition, the company also announced plans for a second, Disney-branded direct-to-consumer service drawing from its entertainment content, which would launch after the company ends its existing distribution agreement with Netflix in 2019.

In December 2017, Disney announced its intent to acquire key entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox. The acquisition, intended to bolster Disney's content portfolio for its streaming products, closed on March 20, 2019.

In January 2018, it was reported that former Apple and Samsung executive Kevin Swint had been appointed senior vice president and general manager of the new service reporting to BAMTech's CEO. In June 2018, former Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures marketing president Ricky Strauss was named president of content and marketing for the service.

On November 8, 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the service would be named Disney+, and that the company was targeting a launch in late 2019. A September launch was reportedly planned, but on April 11, 2019, Disney announced that Disney+ would launch on November 12, 2019; Disney stated that it planned to roll the service out worldwide over the next two years, targeting Western Europe and Asia-Pacific countries by late 2019 and early 2020, and Eastern Europe and Latin America by the end of 2020. The timing of international launches is subject to the acquisition or expiration of existing streaming rights deals for Disney content.

## Content

*Further information: List of original programs distributed by Disney+ and List of original films distributed by Disney+*
The service will be built around content from Disney's main entertainment studios, including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Blue Pixar Animation, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and National Geographic. The service will operate alongside Hulu—which Disney gained a controlling stake in following the 20th Century Fox purchase. Bob Iger stated that Disney+ would be focused specifically on family-oriented entertainment (not carrying any R-rated content), and that Hulu would remain oriented towards general entertainment.

It is expected that Disney+ will have approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films, including content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and National Geographic, as well as Disney Channel shows and family-friendly films and television shows from 20th Century Fox and ABC Studios. New releases from 20th Century Fox will not immediately be available on either Disney+ or Hulu, as Fox has an output deal with HBO until 2022. *Captain Marvel* will be the first theatrically-released Disney film to stream exclusively on Disney+. Bob Iger said that Disney+ will eventually host the entire Disney film library, including films currently in the "Disney Vault." The service will also hold exclusive streaming rights to *The Simpsons*, with all thirty seasons of the series available on launch.

It was initially unclear whether the first six films of the *Star Wars* franchise would be available at the service's launch, as Turner Broadcasting held streaming rights through 2024 as part of its cable rights to the franchise, but on April 11, 2019, it was announced that the films would be available on launch along with *The Force Awakens* and *Rogue One*.

#### Original scripted content

Original series based on Marvel properties and *Star Wars* are being produced, with the former including five new Marvel Cinematic Universe spin-off series involving the characters of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Loki, Scarlet Witch and Vision, and a *What If* animated series, and the latter including *The Mandalorian*, a television series set between *Return of the Jedi* and *The Force Awakens*, a spin-off series focused on Cassian Andor from *Rogue One*, and a seventh season of the animated series *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*. The service's initial original content goal was planned to include four to five original films and five television shows with budgets from $25–100 million. In January 2019, it was reported that Disney will spend up to $500 million in original content for the service. *The Mandalorian* alone is expected to cost $100 million.

In January 2019, Disney+ ordered *Diary of a Female President* from CBS Television Studios, its first series from an outside production company.

A television series remake of the film *High Fidelity* was initially announced for Disney+, but it was revealed in April 2019 that the project had been shifted to Hulu.

#### Original non-fiction content

Disney also plans original non-fiction content for the service, aiming to "find the ethos of Disney in everyday stories, inspiring hope and sparking the curiosity of audiences of all ages". Some of these series will have ties to Disney properties, including behind-the-scenes documentary miniseries focusing on Disney studios (such as one following the production of *Frozen 2*), the Disney-themed reality cooking competition *Be Our Chef*, *Cinema Relics* (a documentary series showcasing iconic costume and props from Disney films), *Marvel's Hero Project* (a series that will showcase "inspiring kids [that] have dedicated their lives to selfless acts of bravery and kindness"), and a Leslie Iwerks-directed documentary series chronicling the history and work of of Walt Disney Imagineering. National Geographic is also producing *Magic of the Animal Kingdom* (a docuseries following the animal caretakers of Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot's aquarium) and *The World According to Jeff Goldblum*.

Disney reached a two-year pact with the documentary studio Supper Club (Brian McGinn, David Gelb and Jason Sterman, producers of Netflix's *Chef's Table*) to produce content for the service, including the conservation-themed nature documentary series *Earthkeepers*, and a documentary series chronicling the cultural and societal impact of Marvel's characters. Other factual series planned include *Encore!* (a Kristen Bell-produced series that will reunite casts from high school musical productions to reprise their roles), *(Re)Connect* (a reality series produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos's Milojo Productions), *Rogue Trip* (a travel series featuring Bob Woodruff and his son Mack), and the reality competition *Shop Class*.

## Device support

Disney announced plans for streaming via web browsers on PCs, as well as apps for digital media players (including Roku, and "likely" Apple TV according to Iger), smart TVs, video game consoles, and mobile platforms. Content will be streamed in resolutions up to 4K and with HDR when available.

## External links

* Official webstite

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