In its first year, the new streaming platform Disney+ will reportedly have one of the largest catalogues in the in the burgeoning industry. The service launches on Tuesday, Nov. 12 with a small selection of its titles, before expanding them across the year. Many fans are excited about the prospect of such a huge library.
Disney+ has been promising to disrupt the streaming industry since it was first announced earlier this year. The app brings the perfect storm of financial resources, existing intellectual property and fan trust to a market where users are not easily impressed. On Monday, the company began to roll out its plans.
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Based on the titles already announced, it looks like Dinsey+ will begin next month with about 110 titles available — just slightly fewer than Netflix has. However, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times, that library will grow rapidly in its first year, ballooning up to more than 7,000 episodes of TV, and about 500 movies.
It. Is. Time. From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Mandalorian, check out basically everything coming to #DisneyPlus in the U.S. on November 12.
Pre-order in the U.S. at https://t.co/wJig4STf4P today: https://t.co/tlWvp23gLF pic.twitter.com/0q3PTuaDWT
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) October 14, 2019
Obviously, not all of these can be hits. In fact, as Disney rolled out some of its titles on Twitter on Monday, some fans dragged the service for reminding them of past flops. However, nostalgia is a powerful force in this industry, and even some critical failures will reign a few customers in.
Disney+ will also have a steady stream of content coming in. The service intends to release episodes of some shows on a week-by-week basis, eschewing the “binge-watching” model that first made streaming so popular. Netflix is considering the same, showing that some people prefer to keep the suspense alive.
Some of the most anticipated originals for Disney+ will launch along with the app next month. These include the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, which follows a bounty hunter similar to Jango and Boba Fett living after the fall of The Empire. Another is High School Musical The Musical The Series, which reboots the Disney Channel classic for a new generation.
Seen a lot of posts floating around about how Disney+ is going to instantly have one of the better streaming libraries for classic films (pre-1990, lol) but based on my rough count just now, it’s actually about the same as Netflix – about 110 titles on Disney+ vs. 118 on Netflix.
— K8 Häxan, thicc goody badwife 🔮♏😈 (@thathagengrrl) October 14, 2019
Meanwhile, beloved shows and movies are joining the app right away, giving subscribers hours of content to watch right off the bat. This includes all 30 seasons of The Simpsons, originally produced by 21st Century Fox, which Disney acquired this year. Some of the biggest hits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be there from the start, including this year’s Avengers: Endgame.
Disney+ is not the only new competitor entering the field of streaming apps. On Nov. 1, Apple TV+ launches with its own effort, which reportedly includes an investment of between $1 billion and $6 billion to get off the ground. It has acquired some lauded creators and big IP as well, including an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series.
Meanwhile, HBO Max is on the way, along with NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming app. This comes along with renewed efforts from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and the others already in the field. Needless to say, streaming entertainment is about to reach a whole new level next month.
