In 2019, I think we can collectively agree we’re all swimming in subscriptions. From personal entertainment subscriptions like Spotify, Netflix and Amazon, to professional subscriptions like Office 365, Google Drive, Adobe Creative Cloud and more, the dollars only stretch so far.
Yesterday, Disney announced a new videos streaming service that is coming to Australia and will compete for your subscription dollars. With so many others like Stan, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Foxtel all before them, it’s going to be hard to convince people to cough up even more money per month, or drop one of their existing offerings.
Disney has announced plans to bring its Disney+ streaming service to Australia and New Zealand on November 19th this year. That’s just 90 days from now and you can head over to their website for a preview.
Disney is likely to bring an array of popular series and movies to its platform, including:
- Star Wars
- Pixar
- Marvel franchise
- Disney’s animated movies
Disney also has plans for a number of original series. While the company has a strong portfolio of licensed content (some of which they’re pulling from other providers), it’s the originals and a more family, or kids-based lineup that could be the big differentiation to consumers.
One such example is production company Warner Media, which has removed its popular sitcom Friends from Netflix with the aim of providing it exclusively on the company’s new streaming service HBO Max.
Other examples include The Walt Disney Company’s existing streaming provider Hulu and upcoming Disney+ streaming service. These streaming services use Disney’s vast library of popular programs that it has either produced or to which it holds distribution rights. The Marvel franchise may also get the same treatment and be offered exclusively on their platform.
The Disney+ service will be priced at A$8.99 per month, below the price of a standard of either Netflix or Stan’s base package. They don’t currently say anything about the quality to be offered, but to be competitive it’d have to be heading towards 4K.
Other key selling points for SVOD services include:
- The ability to watch programs on multiple devices anywhere, anytime
- Low monthly costs without long-term contracts
- Large libraries of desirable content
“Rapid growth in the SVOD service market has intensified competition. New entrants are increasingly looking to differentiate themselves by providing exclusive content. As a result, some large production companies that hold the licenses for popular television shows are looking to establish their own streaming services.
As more companies seek to operate their own streaming services, the libraries of larger providers such as Netflix are expected to become increasingly compromised. This may make them more reliant on content produced in house. Consumers will no longer be able to subscribe to a single platform to access most of the programs they want to watch, and many will likely have to consider multiple subscriptions in the near future,”
IBISWorld Senior Industry Analyst, Mr Liam Harrison.
