Disney+ will launch in the US on November 12, and will cost $6.99 per month (or $69.99 a year), the company announced during Disney’s 2019 Investor Day in Burbank, Calif.
The price announced is well below’s Netflix $12.99, about which Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said, “This is our first serious foray in this space, and we want to reach as many people as possible with it.
“Disney+ marks a bold step forward in an exciting new era for our company – one in which consumers will have a direct connection to the incredible array of creative content that is The Walt Disney Company’s hallmark. We are confident that the combination of our unrivaled storytelling, beloved brands, iconic franchises, and cutting-edge technology will make Disney+ a standout in the marketplace, and deliver significant value for consumers and shareholders alike.”
In addition to its library of theatrical and television content, in its first year Disney+ will release more than 25 original series and 10 original films, documentaries, and specials. New original titles for Disney+ announced today include:
From Marvel Studios: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier live-action series with Anthony Mackie returning as Falcon and Sebastian Stan reprising his role as Winter Soldier; WandaVision live-action series with Elizabeth Olsen returning as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany reprising his role as The Vision; and Marvel’s What If…?, the first animated series from Marvel Studios, taking inspiration from the comic books of the same name.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 documentary series showing the work and imagination that go into making this feature. From Pixar Animation Studios two Toy Story-based projects, Forky Asks a Question animated short series and Lamp Life short film.
From National Geographic The World According to Jeff Goldblum documentary series and Magic of the Animal Kingdom documentary series which takes viewers behind the scenes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s SeaBase aquarium and from Disney Television Animation The Phineas and Ferb Movie (working title) animated film featuring many of the original voice cast.
These titles will join previously announced scripted originals including The Mandalorian, the world’s first scripted live-action Star Wars series, the exclusive new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the untitled Cassian Andor series starring Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk, the Marvel Studios series Loki starring Tom Hiddleston, Monsters at Work, Diary of a Female President, and live-action films Lady and the Tramp, Noelle, Togo, Timmy Failure and Stargirl. Nonfiction series also announced earlier this week include Be Our Chef, Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies, Earthkeepers, Encore!, the untitled Walt Disney Imagineering documentary series, Marvel’s 616, Marvel’s Hero Project, (Re)Connect, Rogue Trip, and Shop Class.
The Disney+ service will be available on gaming consoles, streaming media players, and smart TVs, and will adjust to the best possible high definition viewing experience based on a subscriber’s available bandwidth, with support for up to 4K HDR video playback. A large amount of content will become available for offline viewing.
Following its US debut, Disney+ will rapidly expand globally, with plans to be in nearly all major regions of the world within the next two years. The service will roll out to Western Europe and in Asia-Pacific regions starting in Q4 and into early 2020 and in Eastern Europe and Latin America starting at the end of 2020.
During the Investor Day Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disney’s direct-to-consumer division, said that Disney will “likely” sell its standalone, paid subscription services — Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu — as a bundle for an appealing price. Hulu’s monthly subscription recently dropped to a starting price of $5.99. It also offers an $11.99 “no commercials” plan and Hulu with Live TV, which is $44.99 per month. ESPN+ costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 annually.
To complete the picture, here are the titles that will be available from the existing Disney library:
