10 Reasons Disney Plus Will Dominate Netflix
... And everyone else.
There’s been recent criticism of the increasingly overcrowded marketplace of streaming programs, with the whole point revolving around accessibility, and the notion of having everything in one affordable, easy-to-access place.
However, Disney is an entertainment juggernaut. It’s been crushing its competition for years, and now they've picked up Marvel, Star Wars and Fox to become an even larger power. While other platforms have tried to take Netflix down with some slick exclusives (The Grand Tour and American Gods being two of Amazon Prime’s big hitters), Disney+ has some massive properties that are sure to draw audiences in.
They’ve recently revealed a decent chunk of their line up, and it has plenty of ingredients for complete market domination. From housing old classics, golden box sets and funding new projects, Disney+ is coming out swinging.
Netflix, of course, still has potential for every non-Disney movie in existence. For all its size and heft, Disney+ is confined to the Disney brand and its subsidiaries. Originals like BoJack Horseman and Disenchantment (as well as things they claim as Originals but aren’t really like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Riverdale) will remain with Netflix.
The next few years could be very interesting indeed, but Netflix's stock plummeting in the wake of Disney's announcement is likely just the beginning.
10. Low Price Point & $1 Billion Investment
The actual IPs which will draw people to the service will come later, but they wouldn’t really matter if the subscription cost $50 a month.
The service will be available for just $6.99 per month at launch, with it being rolled out in the US at first on November 12th, aiming for an entire worldwide coverage (excluding North Korea, presumably) by the end of 2021. That timeline is likely very generous, with Disney wanting to hit as many markets as possible as soon as possible.
Netflix ranges between around $9 to $16 in the USA, for reference, but it remains to be seen if Disney’s low price bracket is restricted to a single screen with a higher cost for more devices. One thing’s for sure; they’ve set aside $1 billion to invest in the service in 2020 alone, so they’re definitely pushing it hard.
They have the financial clout to make a loss while they attract customers, a technique common when trying to break into the market. Microsoft famously made losses on Xbox only to recoup it with later models, exclusives and accessories.
Make no mistake, Disney will have planned for every eventuality. They’re as close as it gets to "too big to fail".