Disney Just Announced a Lot of New Details Virtually Its Streaming Service, Including a Name

Photo: The Walt Disney Company

After months of anticipation and quite perhaps a ton of market research, The Walt Disney Visitor today finally appear a proper name for its new direct-to-consumer streaming service. According to Disney CEO Robert Iger, who spoke on an investors conference telephone call this afternoon, the Mouse Business firm's Netflix rival will launch tardily adjacent year and be called … Disney+.

While that might not seem a specially clever moniker, it'due south a pretty logical and perchance even predictable option. The Disney make is ane of the best-known and virtually-admired brands globally, so keeping the focus of the championship on "Disney" should assistance convince consumers to fork over several dollars a month for #content. That's particularly truthful since this new streamer volition focus on family-friendly entertainment, something which which Disney is synonymous. What'south more, the company'south sports-centric streamer, launched earlier this twelvemonth, is called ESPN+, and then Disney'southward 2 biggest streaming plays volition now have consistent branding.

Besides the name, Iger also revealed a bit more than near the new service. While it'due south been known for a few months that Disney will focus the streamer's content around a few core Disney brands, Iger confirmed there volition be five key content hubs on Disney+: Disney's own TV shows and movies (think Beauty and the Creature), Curiosity, Star Wars, Pixar and National Geographic. (The latter company is currently owned by 21st Century Play a trick on, just it will be function of the Disney umbrella by the fourth dimension Disney+ launches and the company closes its purchase of a number of Fox assets.) Too intriguing is that the Disney+ app will create, in essence, five dissimilar user experiences within the one service. "We're going to superserve fans" of diverse brands, Iger said, by customizing the expect and features of each of the dissever content universes contained inside Disney+.

This stands in marked contrast to the Netflix approach: While the streaming pioneer does break down content in various categories ("Movies with Potent Female Leads" or "Because You Watched The Proficient Place"), it has so far insisted on a unified feel with the app. (Netflix has recently tweaked the app somewhat to permit subscribers to focus their homepage on TV shows, movies or new releases). The Disney+ arroyo, at first blush, appears to be a way of reimagining the linear model — diverse networks within one cable bundle — for the streaming age. "There'll be an elegance to it, and an ease of apply," Iger said, hinting Disney is enlightened of complaints well-nigh the less-than-stellar user experience of Hulu and Amazon'south Prime Video.

Meanwhile, Iger offered some other specifics about Disney+ and the company'southward other video plans. He announced a new Star Wars TV series, confirmed an Loki-centric Marvel series, and said the visitor is planning an outcome for investors side by side April during which the company will show off details of the service. Iger also said Disney plans to beef up programming for Hulu once it takes majority control of the service following the Fob buy, and that the company will look to begin offering that service to consumers exterior North America. He as well hinted that new execs coming into the Disney fold from Fob, such as FX chief John Landgraf, will be used to bulk upward Disney'south diverse adult-targeted plan platforms, which will include Hulu. Finally, Iger conceded Disney could eventually take Television shows or movies now airing on broadcast or cable networks and relocate them to Disney+ or Hulu if it decides that's the best manner to monetize such avails. "Nosotros tin't estimate if that will happen, or when information technology will happen, but we are going to be nimble," Iger told investors. But, he added, "We're looking at the market place, seeing disruption" — read: Netflix — "and reacting to it."

Disney Announces New Details, Name For Its Streaming Service