Disney channel, what most students remember as their favorite childhood pastime, is back and better than ever. Just recently, The Walt Disney Company launched Disney Plus, an American subscription video on-demand streaming service owned by the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International division. Think Netflix and Hulu, but exclusively featuring every Marvel, Pixar, Disney, National Geographic, and Star Wars content you could ever dream of having at your fingertips. The streaming service debuted in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands just this week, but is looking to expand its borders beyond those countries soon.
In an effort to compete with other streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus has released copious new and exclusive titles to spur customer interest. This marketing tactic boosts sales by combining nostalgic titles with new content by favorites like Pixar and Marvel. The media conglomerate has also taken several strides to increase subscriptions by pricing the service at $7/month or $70 for the full year if you prepay. This is cheaper than competitors like Netflix and HBO Now (which charges roughly double the monthly rate of Disney Plus). Consumers also receive several perks that other streaming services charge extra for — 4 devices simultaneously being able to stream and 4K ultra HD in Dolby Vision. The company has also partnered with ESPN and Hulu for a $12.99/month package deal that allows customers to bundle and save. On top of these perks, by providing ad-free streaming and making all content downloadable, Disney has targeted the main points customers avidly complain about.
The service is predicted to drive Disney’s future success – in less than a day, Disney Plus registered almost 10 million people for the service, whereas competitors like HBO took almost three years to reach roughly 5 million subscribers. In reference to new titles, the company will release episodes weekly, keeping customers engaged and avidly streaming.
Next time you’re doing girls night, skip the basic netflix rom-com and register for the Disney Plus free 7-day trial. If I might suggest, start with the original parent trap movie, move on to The Sandlot, and end off the marathon with The Emperor’s New Groove. With endless titles to choose from, you’ll be binge watching for the rest of the trial and most likely end up prepaying for the entire year. I’m already guilty of that.