Disney+ relies on technology developed by Disney Streaming, which was originally established as BAMTech in 2015 when it was spun off from MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM).[3] Disney increased its ownership share of BAMTech to a controlling stake in 2017 and subsequently transferred ownership to Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International, as part of a corporate restructuring in anticipation of Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, through which the Star brand was inherited and got retooled as a content platform within the service in some regions, with Latin America having its own standalone service, Star+, until June 26 and July 24, 2024.
With BAMTech helping to launch ESPN+ in early 2018, and Disney's streaming distribution deal with Netflix ending in 2019, Disney took the opportunity to use technologies being developed for ESPN+ to establish a Disney-branded streaming service that would feature its content. Production of films and television shows for exclusive release on the platform began in late 2017.
Disney+ was launched on November 12, 2019, in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, and expanded to Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico a week later. It became available in select European countries in March 2020 and in India in April through Star India's Hotstar streaming service, which was rebranded as Disney+ Hotstar. Additional European countries received Disney+ in September 2020, with the service expanding to Latin America in November 2020. It later expanded in Southeast Asian countries since 2021, followed by countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, Middle East and parts of Africa since May 2022.
Upon launch, it was met with positive reception of its content library, but was criticized for technical problems and missing content. Alterations made to films and television shows also attracted media attention. Ten million users had subscribed to Disney+ by the end of its first day of operation.[c]
In the third quarter of 2024, the number of global Disney+ subscribers amounted to 153.8 million. This marked a growth of around seven million compared with the same quarter of the previous year.
History
2015–2019
In late 2015, Disney launched a streaming service in the United Kingdom called DisneyLife to test the streaming market.[5][6] It was later launched in the Philippines on May 25, 2018.[7] The UK version was replaced by Disney+ on March 24, 2020,[8] while discontinued in the Philippines on April 1 that year.
In August 2016, Disney acquired a minority stake in BAMTech (a spin-off of MLB Advanced Media's streaming technology business) for $1billion, with an option to acquire a majority stake in the future. Following the purchase, ESPN announced plans for an "exploratory [over-the-top] project" based on its technology (ESPN+) to supplant its existing linear television services.[9][10] On August 8, 2017, Disney invoked its option to acquire a controlling stake in BAMTech for $1.58billion, increasing its stake to 75%. Alongside the acquisition, the company also announced plans for a second, Disney-branded direct-to-consumer service drawing from its entertainment content, which would launch after the company ends its existing distribution agreement with Netflix in 2019.[11][12] Not long after, Agnes Chu, story and franchise development executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, was the first executive appointed for the unit, as senior vice president of content.[13] Chu led two projects to launch the new unit. First, Disney needed to verify exactly what content could be physically and legally made available through a streaming service right away, which meant physically reviewing all content in Disney's vaults that had not recently undergone restoration, and reviewing "binders of pieces of paper with legal deals" to identify potential obstacles.[14] Second, Chu met with leaders of Disney's various content-producing divisions to start brainstorming which projects would be appropriate for release on a streaming service rather than in movie theaters.[14] Chu later left in August 2020.[15]
In January 2018, it was reported that former Apple and Samsung executive Kevin Swint had been appointed the senior vice president and general manager, reporting to BAMTech CEO Michael Paull, who leads development.[19][20] In March 2018, Disney's top level segment division was reorganized with the formation of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, which then included BAMTech, which contains "all consumer-facing tech and products".[21] In June of the same year, longtime Disney studio marketing chief, Ricky Strauss, was named president of content and marketing, however reporting to chairman of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Kevin Mayer.[22][23] In January 2019, Fox Television Group COO Joe Earley was named executive vice president of marketing and operations.[24] In June 2019, Matt Brodlie was named as senior vice president of international content development.[25] In August 2019, Luke Bradley-Jones was hired as senior vice president of direct to consumer and general manager of Disney+ for Europe and Africa.[26]
On November 8, 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the service would be named Disney+ and that the company was targeting a launch in late 2019.[27] A September launch was reportedly planned,[28] but on April 11, 2019, Disney announced that Disney+ would launch on November 12, 2019, in the United States. Disney stated that it planned to roll the service out worldwide over the next two years, targeting Western Europe and Asia-Pacific countries by late 2019 and early 2020, and Eastern Europe and Latin America during 2020. The timing of international launches is subject to the acquisition or expiration of existing streaming rights deals for Disney content.[29] On August 6, 2019, Iger announced that it would offer a streaming bundle of Disney+, ESPN+ and the ad-supported version of Hulu for $12.99 per month available at launch.[30] At the D23 Expo in August 2019, Disney opened subscriptions to Disney+ at a discounted rate for three years.[31]
On September 12, 2019, a trial version of Disney+ became available in the Netherlands with limited content available. This testing phase lasted until the official launch on November 12, when trial users were switched to a paid plan.[32][33] Disney+ became available for pre-order in September in the United States with a 7-day free trial upon launch.[34]
The original blue-colored Disney+ logo used from 2019 to 2024.
In October 2019, Disney released a video that ran for three hours and eighteen minutes on YouTube to showcase their launch lineup.[35] It was also reported that Disney would ban advertisements for competitor Netflix from most of its TV platforms, except ESPN.[36][37]
Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019, Midnight Pacific Time in the three initial launch countries.[38] The services had some issues the first day with logging in (about 33% of the problems), accessing specific content (about 66%), setting up profiles and watch lists. Some of the issues were due to third party devices.[39]
On November 18, 2019, an investigation by ZDNet discovered that thousands of users' accounts were hacked using keystroke logging or info-stealing malware. Their email addresses and passwords were changed, "effectively taking over the account and locking the previous owner out", and their login information was put up for sale on the dark web.[40]
On October 12, 2020, Disney announced a reorganization of their media business with a greater focus on streaming. They are planning to add more content for Disney+ and their other streaming platforms (such as Hulu) in the future.[42]
On December 10, 2020, Disney announced that a year after the launch of Disney+, it had over 86.8million subscribers.[43] It was later announced that as of January 2, 2021, the platform had over 94.9million subscribers.[44] In January of the same year, Ricky Strauss, who led the service's content curation and marketing efforts, left the company.[45]
In March 2021, Disney announced an increase to the streaming service's pricing that would take place on March 26, 2021.[46] In the second quarter of 2021, Disney+ added 8.7million subscribers.[47]
In August 2021, Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested that, eventually, Disney+ could be merged with Hulu (as in other markets), citing that the bundled approach had less subscriber churn than the individual services alone, but that "there may also be certain constraints that we're under that could at least, from a short-term standpoint, limit our ability to do what long term we might feel was ideal, but frankly we don't know what's ideal yet."[48]
On March 4, 2022, Disney announced they will plan to launch a low-costad-supported version of Disney+ by late 2022 in the United States, with that version also expanding to other international territories in 2023.[49] Disney later announced on August 10, 2022, that the ad-supported version of Disney+ launches on December 8, with more than 100 advertisers.[50] Costing US$7.99 per month, with the ad free version of Disney+ receiving a price hike of US$3.[51]
In May 2022, the company reported it gained 7.9million subscribers over the first three months of 2022.[52] In August 2022, it was announced that the combined total of subscribers across all Disney streaming platforms including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ had surpassed Netflix with roughly 221 million.[53]
In January 2023, Disney+ received its first Academy Award nomination, for the Italian film Le pupille in the Best Live Action Short Film category.[54][55] In February 2023, Disney reported a total of 161.8million Disney+ subscribers worldwide at the end of 2022, with a gain of 200,000 in Canada and the United States, but a net loss of 2.4million worldwide attributed to the loss of streaming rights to Indian Premier Leaguecricket in India.[56][57]
On May 18, 2023, it was announced that Disney+ and Hulu would remove nearly 60 original films and series on May 26 to "cut costs". The news sparked some backlash, mostly towards the initial decision to remove Howard, the documentary on the life of songwriter Howard Ashman, on the eve of Pride Month and the release of the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. However, it was confirmed the next day that the film will remain available on the service.[58][59] On July 1, more original films and series were removed globally, including Crater, which was released seven weeks prior.[60] However, on September 26, 2023, it was revealed that six of the removed original films: Crater, Better Nate Than Ever, Flora & Ulysses, The One And Only Ivan, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made and the 2022 remake of Cheaper by the Dozen were released for purchase on multiple digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu and Google Play, a move that some considered as historic and unconventional for a streaming service.[61]
Following a carriage agreement with Spectrum in September 2023, Disney+ became available to Spectrum TV Select subscribers for no extra cost.[62]
The ad-tier version was later launched in Canada and parts of Europe by November 1, 2023.[63][64]
On December 6, 2023, Disney added a Hulu content hub to Disney+ as a beta for U.S. Disney Bundle subscribers, in a similar manner to the Star content hub used internationally.[65] In March 2024, Disney+ debuted an updated teal logo design, which Jess Weatherbed at The Verge believed was preparation for the service's integration with Hulu.[66] The new animated logo for the streamer to serve as its splash screen and to open original series and films was also revealed that same month, with a short orchestral theme composed by Ludwig Göransson. The interface was also updated to match the new teal color scheme, which was dubbed "Aurora" as an homage to Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty (1959).[66][67]
On March 27, 2024, the Hulu content hub officially exited beta.[68] Likewise, as a consequence of this, The Walt Disney Company Latin America announced in December that the Star+ platform available in Latin America would be discontinued in that region to later be merged as a section within its main platform, Disney+, starting on June 26, 2024.[69][70][71] On July 25, 2024, Disney announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer Disney+, Hulu and Max as a bundle in the United States.[72]
After a woman died in a Disney Springs restaurant, Disney argued that if a user signs up for a Disney+ subscription or a free trial, the user permanently relinquishes their right to a jury trial in any disputes with the company.[73][74]
On October 22, 2024, following a similar policy previously implemented by Netflix and Spotify, Disney announced that in-app subscriptions for Disney+ and Hulu through the Apple App Store on iOS will no longer be accepted. This change coincided with a price hike of US$2 for users who subscribed through the website.[75]
In November 2024, Disney announced that it will be adding a ESPN title (with content from ESPN+) on Disney+ beginning on December 4, however select ESPN (and Hulu) content will now be available for non subscribers.[76]
The service is built around content from Disney's main entertainment studios and film and television library, including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disneynature, Disneytoon Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, 20th Century Animation, the former Saban Entertainment, Blue Sky Studios and Hollywood Pictures.[77] The service operates alongside Hulu, which Disney gained a controlling stake in following the 21st Century Fox purchase.[78] Bob Iger stated that at launch, Disney+ would focus on family-oriented entertainment (not carrying any content rated R, NC-17 or TV-MA) and that Hulu would continue to host general entertainment;[27][79][80] Hulu also hosts Disney+ as an add-on service.[81] Content intended for mature audiences (R and TV-MA) was later added to the service, including the Disney+ original The Beatles: Get Back (2021), which includes a content warning,[82] and the Marvel series produced for Netflix, all of which are rated TV-MA. With the addition of the Marvel Netflix series in March 2022, revised parental controls were introduced to the service in the United States to allow the more mature content of the series to be added, similarly to the controls that already exist for other regions that have the Star content hub.[83] On December 6, 2023, Disney launched a content hub for Disney+ similar to that of Star, which contains Hulu content for Disney Bundle subscribers in the United States in beta.[65]
Content library
It is suggested that Disney+ had approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films at launch,[84] including original television series and films from Disney Channel, National Geographic and Freeform, as well as select titles from 20th Television, 20th Television Animation and ABC Signature.[77][85] New releases from 20th Century Studios would not immediately be available on either Disney+ or Hulu at the start, as the studio had pre-existing output deals with other premium TV and streaming providers (including HBO in the United States until 2022,[86]Crave in Canada[87] and Sky in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Germany). Captain Marvel, Dumbo (2019) and Avengers: Endgame became the first theatrically released Disney films to stream exclusively on Disney+ within the pay-cable window.[23]
It was announced that Disney+ would add the first 30 seasons of The Simpsons to the service at launch,[d] as the series' new exclusive home,[88][89] with season 31 being added on October 2, 2020, season 32 being added on September 29, 2021, and season 33 being added on October 5, 2022, in the United States. Season 34 was added to the service on October 11, 2023.[90]
It was initially unclear whether the first six films of the Star Wars franchise would be available in the United States at the service's launch, as TBS held streaming rights through 2024 as part of its cable rights to the franchise,[96] but in April 2019, it was announced that the films would be available at launch along with The Force Awakens[f] and Rogue One,[99][100] with The Last Jedi being added on December 26, 2019, The Rise of Skywalker being added on May 4, 2020,[101] and Solo: A Star Wars Story being added on July 10, 2020.[102] On April 2, 2021, several older Star Warsspin-offs were released.[103]
On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached a deal to amend the pre-existing deal HBO had with 21st Century Fox to allow Disney+ or Hulu and HBO Max to share the streaming rights to half of 20th Century Studios' and Searchlight Pictures' 2022 theatrical slate in the United States during the pay-one window, with Ron's Gone Wrong being the first film under the deal, becoming available on both Disney+ and HBO Max on December 15, 2021.[130] Disney still has full streaming rights to any 20th Century and Searchlight films produced for Disney+ or Hulu, while the Disney deal with WarnerMedia for streaming 20th Century and Searchlight films on HBO Max ended in 2022, with Disney+ and Hulu assuming the full pay-one rights to films released after 2022.[130]
On September 3, 2024, ABC News Live was added to Disney+ as a continuous playlist, alongside a continuous Disney+ Playtime preschool playlist.[131]
A television series remake of the film High Fidelity was initially announced for Disney+, but in April 2019, it was announced that the project had been moved to Hulu, citing concerns from its staff that the positioning of Disney+ as a family-friendly service was at odds with their creative vision for the series.[138]Love, Victor, a spin-off of the film Love, Simon, was similarly shifted from Disney+ to Hulu in February 2020.[139]
Most original episodic content is released weekly, as opposed to all at once[142] with the release time initially being 12:01am. PT on Fridays, which lasted from November 15, 2019, to June 25, 2021. With the premiere of Loki, which debuted on June 9, 2021, Disney shifted the release schedule for new original series and new seasons of the respective series to Wednesdays.[143][144]
On December 25, 2020, Soul became the first feature-length film from Pixar to be released as a Disney+ original. The following two Pixar films, Luca and Turning Red, were also released as Disney+ originals.[145]
On February 1, 2022, Disney announced that Star OriginalKorean drama series Snowdrop would be released on Disney+ in the U.S. on February 9, 2022, as a Disney+ original; this marks the series becoming the first international content for Disney+ and the first content as both a Disney+ and Star original.
Original unscripted content
Disney also plans original factual television content for the service, aiming to "find the ethos of Disney in everyday stories, inspiring hope and sparking the curiosity of audiences of all ages." Some of these series will have ties to Disney properties, including behind-the-scenes documentary miniseries focusing on Disney studios (such as one following the production of Frozen II),[135] the Disney-themed competition cooking competition Be Our Chef, Cinema Relics (a documentary series showcasing iconic costume and props from Disney films), Marvel's Hero Project (a series showcasing "inspiring kids [that] have dedicated their lives to selfless acts of bravery and kindness") and The Imagineering Story (a Leslie Iwerks-directed documentary series chronicling the history and work of Walt Disney Imagineering).[146][147] National Geographic also produced Magic of the Animal Kingdom (a docuseries following the animal caretakers of Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot's aquarium) and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.[148]
Disney reached a two-year pact with the documentary studio Supper Club (Brian McGinn, David Gelb and Jason Sterman, producers of Netflix's Chef's Table) to produce content for the service, including the conservation-themed nature documentary series Earthkeepers, and Marvel's 616, a documentary series chronicling the cultural and societal impact of Marvel's characters. Other factual series include Encore! (a Kristen Bell-produced series that reunites casts from high school musical productions to reprise their roles), (Re)Connect (a reality series produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' Milojo Productions), Rogue Trip (a travel series featuring Bob Woodruff and his son Mack) and the reality competition Shop Class.[146][147]
On April 8, 2022, it was announced that Dancing with the Stars would be moving from ABC to Disney+. This would only apply to users in North America.[149]
Sports
On February 26, 2023, Disney+ broadcast live in Japan the solo ice show Gift, the first figure skating event to be held at Tokyo Dome, produced and performed by two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu. On July 14 the show was released worldwide.[150]
On May 7, 2024, Disney+ announced it would simulcast ESPN2's coverage of WNBA opening night on May 14.[156]
Since June 26, 2024, in Latin America and Caribbean the whole ESPN content (sports live events and TV shows) began being available on Disney+ after its merger with Star+.[157]
The live-action adaptation of Mulan was premiered in select countries on Disney+ with Premier Access for a premium fee ($29.99) on September 4, 2020, and later was made available for free to all subscribers on December 4.[158] A second feature film, Raya and the Last Dragon, was offered through the Premier Access model on March 5, 2021, the same day as its theatrical release,[159] and was made available for all users on June 4.[160] In March 2021, Disney announced that Cruella and Black Widow would be released theatrically and through Premier Access.[161] In May 2021, Disney announced that Jungle Cruise would also be released theatrically and through Premier Access.[162]
Network releases
In September 2021, it was reported that Disney had begun a new television release strategy by giving episodes from certain series an early premiere on Disney+ ahead of their television debuts. The first series to be released through this strategy was The Ghost and Molly McGee, with episodes 3 to 5 being released on Disney+ on October 6, 2021.[163][164] This was followed by the third and final season of Fancy Nancy premiering in its entirety on Disney+ alongside its premiere episode on Disney Junior on November 12, 2021.[165]
In November 2021, it was reported that the Disney Channel Original Movie, Christmas...Again?! would be released on Disney+ on December 3, 2021, the same day of its television premiere, marking the first film to receive a simultaneous release.[166] A similar approach would be taken with future Disney Channel Original Movies, becoming available on Disney+ the day following their premieres on Disney Channel with movies like Prom Pact and The Naughty Nine. This ultimately lead to Disney Channel Original Movies being rebranded to "Disney Original Movies".
On February 7, 2024, Disney+ obtained the streaming rights to the 2023 concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, for which they will stream an exclusive unabridged edit of the film dubbed "Taylor's Version," with songs not featured in the theatrical and VOD releases, beginning March 15.[168]
In European territories, Disney+ contains several locally produced content to fulfill certain countries' local content criteria.
In November 2021, Disney announced that StudioCanal's Paddington films would be released on Disney+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland,[175] with the films also arriving on Germany and France eventually. Several other StudioCanal movies such as Maya the Bee are also available on the service.[176][non-primary source needed]
Disney+ allows seven user profiles per account, with the ability to stream on four devices concurrently and unlimited downloads for offline viewing. Content is able to be streamed in resolutions up to 4KUltra HD in Dolby Vision and HDR10, with Dolby Atmos sound on supported devices. Legacy content and Disney+ originals are available in multiple languages.[189] As of June 2022, the international version of the Disney+ app is translated in 21 languages (not including variants).[190] A substantial amount of content is available in Hindi, Indonesian, Thai, Malay, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada and Marathi languages on the Indian and select Southeast Asian countries counterpart, Disney+ Hotstar.[191] The localised Disney+ app around the MENA and South Africa features content in Arabic and Hebrew subtitles and dubbing. Many feature films and shows are available in two Arabic dub variants: Standard and Egyptian.[192]
In late May 2020, the service added the ability to switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios for early Simpsons episodes,[193] after the service received backlash for stretching those episodes to 16:9 by default at launch.[194] Disney had done this "in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons." To accommodate the feature, Disney Streaming Services "had to reconfigure its content-delivery engine" while ensuring the new feature would not break any existing features such as continue watching, watchlists and auto-playing, as they did not want to treat the 4:3 versions as bonus content. The resulting changes allowed Disney to apply the existing audio, subtitle information, episode artwork and other metadata from the episodes to both aspect ratios regardless of which is chosen by the user. Joe Rice, vice president of media product at Disney Streaming Services, added that these adjustments "opens up a number of exciting opportunities for novel ways of presenting content in the future."[193]
In September 2020, the service added the GroupWatch feature which allows up to seven different Disney+ accounts to link up and co-view programming with one another. Viewers are able to react to content with six different emojis, and control playback for the entire group. It is available on web browser, mobile app, smart TVs and connected TV devices in the United States, and later expanded to Europe in 2020.[195] The feature was previously tested in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.[196]
In November 2021, Disney and IMAX announced that 13 films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe would receive IMAX Enhanced versions on Disney+, that feature IMAX's 1.90:1 aspect ratio for scenes shot in or opened up for the format. This feature became available beginning on November 12, 2021, with the IMAX Enhanced versions also adding other features such as DTS audio at a later point, as well as all IMAX Enhanced titles still retaining other features from the standard widescreen versions, like Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.[197]
Disney+ was launched early in the Netherlands on September 12, 2019, as a free trial. It officially launched in the Netherlands, United States and Canada on November 12, 2019, just before 3:00a.m. EST (UTC–5). Disney+ launched in Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico on November 19, 2019, and launched in Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland on March 24, 2020.[29][266] In the UK and Ireland, Disney+ replaced DisneyLife. In Spain, a linear Disney+ television channel launched alongside the streaming service. The channel is available exclusively on Movistar Plus+, which serves as Disney+'s launch partner in the region.[209]
In December 2019, it was announced that Canal+ would be the exclusive distributor of Disney+ in France.[221] The launch in France was delayed from March 24 to April 7, pursuant to a request from the French government to conserve network capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic placing additional strain on communications networks.[220] The streaming service, along with the Disney channels will be removed from the provider on December 31, 2024, after failing to renew its distrution deal between the two.[222][223]
In April 2020, it was announced that Disney+ original content would be licensed to pay TV and streaming operator OSN, starting on April 9, in 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region with Disney noting that they had no current "plan to launch Disney+ as a standalone service in the region in the near future".[267][268][269]
The service launched in Japan on June 11, 2020, as part of Disney's existing partnership with NTT Docomo, and succeeded the existing Disney Deluxe service in the region.[226]
Few months later, Disney+ service expanded in Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Greenland[270] on September 15, 2020;[231] and in Latin America and the Caribbean on November 17, 2020.[234]
The service expanded to Singapore on February 23, 2021.[244][245]
On August 12, 2021, Disney announced that it would launch in the Middle East and Africa in mid-2022.[271][272] Following the announcement, all the Disney+ original content has been removed from OSN, which its platform were previously host Disney+ original content through licensing since April 2020.[273]
It was announced that the service would also expand to Central and Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, South Africa and Turkey later in between 2021 and 2022.[274] Among them, it has been confirmed that the service would launch on November 12, 2021, in South Korea and Taiwan, and on November 16, 2021, in Hong Kong.[253] It became available in more than 50 countries in 2022. It was going to be available in more than 160 countries by the end of 2023, but it wasn't released in more countries during that year.[275][276]
On March 29, 2022, Disney announced that it would launch the service in South Africa on May 18, 2022, in the Middle East and North Africa (excluding Syria) on June 8, 2022, in most of the remaining European countries on June 14, 2022, and in Israel on June 16, 2022.[258]
The service was also launched in the Philippines on November 17, 2022, in addition to mobile plan launch.[263]
The Disney Bundle
Alongside the launch of the standalone Disney+ service in the U.S., Disney also announced a bundle including its other U.S. streaming services Hulu (ad-supported version) and ESPN+, marketed as The Disney Bundle, initially for US$12.99 per month;[30] the monthly price of this plan subsequently increased to $13.99. Additional variants of the bundle were later added including the ad-free and Live TV variants of Hulu; then, in late 2021, Disney+ and ESPN+ became non-removable parts of the Hulu + Live TV package.[277]
In connection with the August 10, 2022, announcement of the ad-supported version of Disney+ launching on December 8, several new bundle options and increased prices were announced as taking effect the same day. Monthly prices for these plans range from $9.99 (for Disney Bundle Duo Basic, a new bundle with ad-supported versions of Disney+ and Hulu, but not ESPN+) to $82.99 (for Hulu + Live TV with the ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu streaming content, as well as ESPN+, which is only offered as an ad-supported service).[278] The monthly price of the original bundle with ad-free Disney+, ad-supported Hulu and ESPN+ increased to $14.99; however, that plan only remains available to existing subscribers.[278]
Disney+, Hulu and Max Bundle
Other bundled options, sometimes including third-party services, have been offered in various countries. In Latin America, bundles have been offered incorporating Disney+ and Star+, as well as Lionsgate's streaming service Lionsgate+ (formerly Starzplay) in some countries of Latin America,[279] until Lionsgate+'s discontinuation on December 11, 2023.[280] In Brazil, there is also a bundle of Disney+ and Globoplay offered on Globoplay's website.[239] In Japan, a bundle of Disney+ and Hulu Japan (which had been sold by Hulu's previous ownership group to Nippon TV in 2014) was launched in 2023.[281] In summer 2024 in the U.S., Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery will begin offering a bundle comprising Disney+, Hulu and WBD's Max for a discounted price (it was already possible to subscribe to Max at regular price as an add-on to Hulu).[282]
In February 2020, Iger announced that it planned to launch Disney+ in India on March 29, 2020, by means of its existing service Hotstar, rebranding its paid tiers as a co-branded service. Hotstar was acquired by Disney during the Fox purchase, and has been the dominant streaming service in the country.[283][284] However, it was postponed due to the Indian Premier League being rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[214] It was then launched on April 3, 2020.[213] A few months later, Disney+ launched in Indonesia through Hotstar on September 5, 2020.[228]
On February 25, 2021, it was reported that Disney+ was launched in Malaysia and Thailand through Hotstar within 2021.[285][286] It was later confirmed that the launch would take place in Malaysia on June 1, 2021,[248] and Thailand on June 30, 2021.[251] Later on, there was a report stating the service was expected to launch in Vietnam in 2022, although no updates have been made since then regarding a launch of Disney+ in the region.[287]
The Disney+ service officially launched in the 17 MENA markets, including Israel, in June 2022. Although not branded as Hotstar, a variant of the Disney+ Hotstar app for non-PC devices was made available for these markets. It has the same user interface and login system as Hotstar but does not support the Disney ID SSO like the international version of the Disney+ app does.[288] In fact, users in the MENA markets are met with an error message upon booting the international version of the Disney+ app, and MENA subscribers cannot access their accounts outside the region, and vice versa.[192] This variant is also available for South Africa and the Philippines.
Star, Disney's brand for non-family-oriented entertainment, launched on February 23, 2021, in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.[289][290] Star was added to Disney+ in Japan on October 27, 2021, and launched along with the service in South Korea and Taiwan on November 12 and Hong Kong on November 16 that year.[227] Star was later introduced in South Africa, MENA and Eastern Europe in the summer of 2022. Disney+ in Turkey and Greece will not be carrying the Star brand due to local channels having the name, it is called "More Entertainment", instead.[citation needed] It is also available in the Philippines since November 17, 2022.[263]
The launch of Star marked the first time content classified more mature than the PG-13 and TV-14 ratings was able to be streamed on Disney+.[291]
On May 3, 2023, Disney made changes in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, where these three countries are part of Disney+ Hotstar streaming platform, is now available with the Star hub even though the platform still remains with the "Hotstar" brand.[292]
Reception
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
On November 13, 2019, a day after its launch, Disney announced that the streaming service had already signed up more than 10 million subscribers.[293][306] Disney+ was well received due to its pricing and for the Disney library. Frank Pallotta of CNN stated that "the company [Disney] has repackaged its trove of beloved content for the service makes it a worthy companion to the other services in the marketplace.[307] Nick Pino of TechRadar stated, "If Disney keeps it updated with new content, Disney+ could rival Netflix sooner rather than later."[308]
Upon launch, Disney+ experienced significant technical difficulties. Users complained about receiving error messages that the service was down and that they were "unable to connect", which were irritating because many of them had paid for the service months in advance.[309] In some instances, passwords needed to be reset to enable access.
One other negative aspect with the launch of the service was the presentation of the non-HD episodes of The Simpsons. Namely, that instead of presenting them in their original aspect ratio, they were either cropped to fit 16:9 widescreen televisions or awkwardly stretched out to that aspect ratio.[194]FXX's now-defunct "Simpsons World" streaming service was similarly criticized when it launched.[310] In response, Disney stated they would make the ability to watch the episodes of the first 19 seasons and some from season 20 in either the 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio in early 2020.[311] The feature was made available on May 28, 2020.[193]
Some have noted that episodes of The Simpsons, X-Men, DuckTales, Phineas and Ferb, Kim Possible and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes are presented almost entirely out of order, while some series are missing episodes.[312][125] Others have questioned why an extensive catalog of Disney-owned material is missing from the platform, including older Disney-produced films,[92]Disney Junior titles,[313] Marvel content,[314][315] some Muppets media,[316][k] and the unreleased Star Wars animated comedy series Star Wars Detours.[319] On June 26, 2020, the 2017 DuckTales series had its episodes arranged in the proper order while co-creator of Phineas and Ferb, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, has stated that they are working on correcting the order of his series.[320]
Disney+ was the top trending Google search term in 2019 in the U.S.[321] In February 2020, Disney reported that Disney+ had 26.5million subscribers by the end of 2019, and 28.6million by February 3, 2020.[294] By April 2020, Disney+ had 50 million paid subscribers, with approximately 8million of those coming from India.[295] The service had 54.5million subscribers by May 4,[296][322] 57.5million subscribers by the end of June, 60.5million subscribers by August 4,[297] 73.7million subscribers by September 30,[298] and 86.8million subscribers as of December 2.[299] In February 2021, Disney reported that Disney+ had 94.9million subscribers as of January 2, 2021.[323][324] On March 9, 2021, Disney reported that the service had surpassed 100 million paid subscribers but did not say when it had hit the milestone. The company clarified that it would now only be providing subscriber number updates when certain milestones are reached, as opposed to releasing exact numbers each quarter.[325]
In 2020, Apple Inc. named Disney+ the Apple TV App of the Year. It was the second- and third-most-downloaded free app of the year globally on the iPad and iPhone, respectively. It was also voted the best app of 2020 by Google Play users.[326] In H1 of 2021, the app reached 125 million downloads.[327]
↑ The Home Alone films were restored in November 2020, after fulfilling a contract with HBO.[95]
↑ The rights to The Force Awakens (among various other Disney films) are owned by the premium television network Starz (as they have previously been the first-run pay-TV provider for Walt Disney Studios' releases between 1994 and 2015). To sub-license the streaming rights, it was reported that Disney had agreed to provide an advertising placement for Starz at the conclusion of the registration process for Disney+ and ESPN+ on PC and Android platforms, although no further promotions from Starz are seen once sign-up is completed.[97][98]
↑ Taboo words like "fuck" and "goddamn" were censored from Adventures in Babysitting and Free Solo;[112] however, Hamilton retained one instance of "fuck" as is typically allowed in a PG-13 film.[113]
↑ An additional notice is displayed for titles containing depictions of tobacco.[118]
↑ One episode featuring Nazi imagery and Nazi agent Red Skull was omitted. Additionally, the series' third episode features a warning about racially insensitive content regarding stereotypes of Asians.[123]
1 2 All but two The Muppet Show episodes were added on February 19, 2021. Other episodes have been edited, mostly due to music rights issues—with some segments removed, and others restored after being absent from earlier DVD releases.[317][318]
↑ Unless otherwise indicated, "Yes" means Star programming has been available since the later of February 23, 2021, and the launch of Disney+ in the indicated country/territory.
1 2 The service received a soft launch on September 12, 2019, in the Netherlands.
1 2 Most original programs available as part of the Hulu service, both as a separate app and since December 6, 2023 (full release on March 27, 2024) as a content hub on Disney+, branded as "Hulu on Disney+".
↑ The service was originally to be launched on March 29, but was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[214]
↑ Select programs that are marketed as Star programming elsewhere are included in Disney+ Hotstar under various hubs including Star World,[215]ABC Studios, Select Picks, and others.[216][217][218][219]
↑ Star added on June 26, 2024, replacing a separate streaming service Star+, which was discontinued on July 24, 2024.[236][69][237]
1 2 Due to the pre-existing Star Channel (Greece) and Star TV (Turkey) brands in the respective countries, the section is instead labelled "More Entertainment".
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as television series and films, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable television, and/or satellite television systems, streaming television is provided as over-the-top media (OTT), or as Internet Protocol television (IPTV). In the United States, streaming television has become "the dominant form of TV viewing."
Hulu is an American subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of The Walt Disney Company.
FX Networks, LLC, commonly known as FX Networks, is an American media company built around the FX television channel and its associated production company, FX Productions, and is a subsidiary of Disney General Entertainment Content, the television division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company. Originally a part of News Corporation and later 21st Century Fox, the company was included in the acquisition of the latter by Disney on March 20, 2019. Consequently, FX Networks was integrated with the other television production and broadcasting assets that form the Disney General Entertainment Content unit in 2021.
Disney Channel is a defunct pan-Asian pay television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.
Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED), formerly Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI), was a business segment of the Walt Disney Company that operated from March 14, 2018 until the establishment of its successor, Disney Entertainment on February 8, 2023. It consisted of Disney Streaming and Disney International Operations. Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution's fate was a success as of to when Disney-ABC Domestic Television still held up business
An over-the-top media service is a digital distribution service offered directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through an over-the-air, cable, or satellite-based provider. The term is synonymous with "streaming platform", such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video which provide access to subscription-based film and television content (SVoD).
Disney Star, registered as Star India Private Limited is an Indian media conglomerate joint venture. Though Reliance Industries owns 16.34% of the joint venture, while Viacom18 holds 46.82% and Disney India 36.84%, the JV is controlled by Reliance Industries. In November 2024, assets of Viacom18 merged with Disney Star to form JioStar. It is the largest television and entertainment network in India. It operates more than 100 TV channels and owns two major streaming platforms, Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema.
Disney+ Hotstar is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries, Viacom18 and Disney India.
Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures, CBS Studios, Paramount Media Networks, and Paramount Pictures, while also including original series and films, live streaming sports coverage, and in the United States, live streaming of local CBS broadcast stations.
ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by the ESPN division of The Walt Disney Company, in partnership with ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications. It is one of Disney's three flagship subscription streaming brands in the United States, alongside Disney+ and Hulu, and operates using technology of Disney subsidiary BAMTech, now known as Disney Streaming.
There are currently about 57 providers of over-the-top media services (OTT) in India, which distribute streaming media or video on demand over the Internet.
Max, formerly known as HBO Max, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Games, which is itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The platform offers content from the libraries of Warner Bros., Discovery, HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, TBS, TNT, Eurosport, and their related brands. Max first launched in the United States on May 27, 2020.
JioCinema is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries, Viacom18 and Disney India. the service was launched on 4th May 2016.
Star+ was a short-lived subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service available in almost all Ibero-American states. The service was owned by The Walt Disney Company through the Disney Entertainment division and business segment.
Star is a content hub within the Disney+ streaming service that launched on February 23, 2021. The hub is available in a subset of countries where Disney+ is operated, except the United States.
↑ "The 95th Academy Awards | 2023". Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. March 19, 2024. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
↑ Bellaiche, Emil (April 16, 2024). "Kæmpejubel over fodboldrettigheder i Danmark"[Huge jubilation over football rights in Denmark]. Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
↑ Nur Zhafira, Arnidhya (October 21, 2021). ""Shang-Chi" hingga "Jungle Cruise" akan hadir di Disney+ Hotstar Day"[From "Shang-Chi" to "Jungle Cruise" will arrive to Disney+ Hotstar Day]. Antara (in Indonesian). Jakarta. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022. Sebagai bagian dari perayaan spesial ini, pelanggan Disney+ Hotstar di Indonesia dapat bergabung dengan para penggemar di seluruh dunia untuk menikmati ragam konten terbaru dari seluruh brand ikonik yang tersedia di Disney+ Hotstar mulai dari Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, dan Star untuk pasar internasional.[As part of this special celebration, Disney+ Hotstar customers in Indonesia joins fans around the world to enjoy range of new contents from iconic brands which are offered in Disney+ Hotstar including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star (for international markets).]
↑ "Disney+ Hotstar says hello Thai style". Bangkok Post. Bangkok. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2022. It brings together blockbuster Hollywood movies and award-winning content from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, FX, and 20th Century Studios.
↑ "Disney+ Continues International Expansion" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company Europe, Middle East & Africa. September 15, 2020. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
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158.6 million (as of November 14,2024 [update] ) [1] 
