Disney Plus vs Netflix: who will win?
In what world is Disney the underdog?
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Disney PlusorNetflix? Now that the Disney streaming service has made its way to the US, Canada, UK, and much of Europe, the question of whether Netflix or Disney Plus is the right choice for you has never been more pressing.
Of course, you may well have a number of TV streaming service subscriptions already, and Disney Plus may seem like one too many for your current intake of online TV shows and films. While Netflix carved the way, the likes ofAmazon Prime,Hulu,HBO Nowand more have flooded the market, giving viewers more avenues for on-demand content than ever.
A lot of you may wonder whether Disney Plus will be worth an additional subscription fee, or switching over entirely from your Netflix account. That will probably come down to your budget and the sort of titles you’re after – both services will scratch different itches, after all – but if you just need a hand comparing Netflix vs Disney Plus, with a mind to picking one over the other, here’s everything you need to know about the pair of them.
Disney Plus vs Netflix: basic overview
Netflix and Disney Plus are both on-demand streaming services for watching TV shows and films. Netflix is the one to beat for any new challenger entering the fray, with a whopping140 million subscribersworldwide and a hugely broad content library.
There are now plenty of other streaming services online (Hulu, HBO Go,AmazonPrime Video), but none have carved out quite as much of the market as Netflix, which has become a home for original drama, comedy specials, kids’ TV and animation, and a wide range of other genres.
Netflix has however relied on a lot of classic TV shows which get increasingly expensive to license – Friends, The Office, etc – and is having to lean more on its own attempts at original programming, with billions plunged into its Netflix Original productions likeStranger Things,The Witcher, and Master of None.
The rise of Disney Plus has also meant the removal of a lot of Disney-owned content from the service, such as any films in theMarvelCinematic Universe, and Netflix’s popularMarvel TV shows(Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist). Disney makes serious money (anestimated $300 million) putting its films and properties on Netflix and other services, so it must have pretty high profit forecasts for its own service to so goodbye to those earnings.
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We spoke to analyst Stephan Paternot, CEO of film finance marketplaceSlated, for his take on Disney’s prospects, and we’re told “Disney will probably utterly dominate across the board”, due to the strength of its various subsidiary services like ESPN.
“It’s simply breathtaking how well positioned they are with ESPN (leader in live sports), Disney+ (a deep, and growing library of the biggest family friendly franchise brands of all time), and Hulu (which is the closest thing to Netflix and is slowly gaining on them, in part thanks to live and ad-supported tiers).”
Paternot also commented on Disney’s ability to “cross-monetize” its various brands and assets between film, TV, music and merchandizing giving it a competitive price advantage over Netflix, and therefore the freedom to take bigger financial risks.
Disney Plus vs Netflix: price and availability
To start, Disney Plus definitely undercuts Netflix on price. Disney Plus costs $6.99 per month ($8.99 CAD / £5.99 / €6.99 / $8.99 AUD / $9.99 NZD) per month or $69.99 per year ($89.99 CAD / £59.99 / €69.99 / $89.99 AUD / $99.99 NZD) in the US. That’s a decent amount under Netflix’s $8.99 (£7.99 / AU$9.99) per month Basic plan.
If you want to find out more about the Disney Plus pricing make sure you check out ourDisney Plus priceguide.
Netflix has three total price tiers, with the Standard plan allowing HD viewing and up to two screens being watched at the same time – while the Premium plan ups this to four screens and UHD /4Kresolution viewing. See our guide toNetflix plansfor all the pros and cons for each one.
Disney Plus, however, only has one price tier, with access to 4K andHDRcontent available to all subscribers – provided they have a4K TV, of course. Disney is describing this as “high-quality viewing” rather than 4K, though, and the resolution will depend on your internet connection – as well asrestrictions on streaming quality across Europeamid the huge demand for data in these self-isolating times.
Disney’s ownership of and stakes in other platforms is also coming in very useful,with a bundle optionto get subscriptions for Hulu and ESPN+ thrown in alongside your Disney Plus account (in the US, at least).
Disney Plus vs Netflix: features and user interface
Now that the streaming service has been out in the wild some time now, you can read all our thoughts in thisDisney Plus review.
Nothing in the interface will particularly surprise you, with horizontal rows of content and recommended sections that algorithmically show you content likely to be of interest to you.
Unlike Netflix’s genre-based categories for comedies, action, or drama, though, Disney Plus also has buttons for five distinct ‘channels’ – Disney, Pixar, Marvel,Star Wars, and National Geographic – alongside a jumble of content from the channels beneath them. You also get seven user profiles for Disney Plus, up from just five on Netflix.
Like Netflix, we know Disney Plus will be available on the usual round of mobile, laptop, and smart TV apps – though arecent Disney presentationalso let slip plans to come toNintendo Switch, which Netflix is still curiously absent from.
Disney Plus vs Netflix: content
The reduced price is largely down to the small content library Disney have so far. Disney’s CEO Robert Iger stated that “our plan on the Disney side is to price this substantially below where Netflix is. This is in part reflective of the fact that it will have substantially less volume."
While Disney has access to a lot of high-profile franchises (Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, etc), it won’t have the endless library of content we expect from Netflix (around 6,000 titles).
We hoped that we would getevery Disney film ever madeon the service – such as everything from the original Snow White and Aladdin movies to the Star Wars films and entirety of Pixar - but this only been the case for original properties from the “Vault”. Other films owned by Disney, like Home Alone and Dr Doolittle, havedisappeared from the platformsince launch. New Disney films, however, should be added to the service within the following year after a theatrical release.
Despite the thin start in terms of content, there’s plenty of new stuff on its way to prevent you from hitting that cancel button.WandaVision joins The Falcon and The Winter Soldierin 2020 for Marvel fans, plus a Lizzie McGuire show and Phineas and Ferb film for younger viewers.The Mandalorian season 2will also follow up on the success of Jon Favreau’s live-action Star Wars meme generator.
There’s clearly plenty of scope for Disney to leverage its existing IP beyond the big screen, while its recent purchase of 20th Century Fox means you alsowatch the entire Simpsons catalogueand more on the service.
Therein lies Netflix’s greatest problem: franchises. Netflix licenses a lot of classic shows like the Office, Friends, and Arrested Development, but is trying to build up a library of original content to avoid difficult licensing negotiations and hefty distribution fees.
Paternot suggested Netflix would do fine “in the short to medium run, but were likely to be pushed into a “narrower content lane” as they lose out on Disney-branded franchises.
With titles like Orange is the New Black, Master of None, Bojack Horseman, and GLOW on the Netflix platform, however, there are still some real must-watch titles not going anywhere. Not to mention over 100 Emmy nominations for various shows, and recent Oscars forlast year’s incredible Roma.
Netflix as a whole can feel like a matter of quantity over quality, but there are enough high-profile shows and variety to ensure most viewers will remain catered for.
Takeaway
It’s clear that Disney’s streaming service has a lot going for it, with mammoth franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and more creating a true pop culture entertainment hub.
The monthly subscription price is already pretty attractive, and gives you a month’s worth of content for the price of buying a standalone Disney movie off iTunes or Rakuten TV. Of course, not everything from Disney’s big franchises are here already – only 16 Marvel movies at launch, for instance, and theSonySpider-Man movies likely never to join them – but we do know that the servicewon’t have a rotating slateof licensed content like Netflix.
It’s likely that Netflix will keep the edge with its sheer number of titles, and therefore more likelihood of having something for each of its users. Even with Disney’s various acquisitions, Disney Plus is likely to be more of a niche proposition, and if you’re not a die-hard Marvel fan or a parent needing some distracting Disney cartoons, it’s hard to see Disney Plus becoming part of your daily routine in the same way as Netflix.
But if you’ve been persuaded by Disney Plus, here’show to cancel your Netflix subscription,once and for all.
Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.
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