In 2018, Disney started to pull popular shows off streaming networks like Netflix to form their own streaming service, Disney Plus. On Nov. 12, Disney Plus became available in the U.S., and people all over were excited to dig into the new content.
Popular shows like “The Punisher” were moved from Netflix to Disney Plus, forcing some die-hard fans to get the new streaming service to watch their favorite shows. However, the number of streaming services available can be overwhelming. Hulu and Netflix have always been competitors, but now with Disney Plus in the mix, people are torn as to what streaming services they should invest in.
One of the reasons Netflix and Hulu are so great is because of their interface designs. When you go onto Netflix or Hulu, you can see what movies and TV shows you have watched and are currently watching. Disney Plus doesn’t keep track of any of those things; if a consumer is in the middle of a movie on Disney Plus, they have to use the search function to find and resume the movie.
There have also been quite a lot of complaints about Disney Plus. Paying customers had issues not only logging into their accounts but also accessing shows. “The Simpsons” also had problems on the streaming service, with the show being cropped on television, frustrating consumers who could not see the full picture.
Having a streaming service can be pricey, but having three is outright expensive. Netflix costs $13 per month for the standard plan, which means annually, it’s around $156. A subscription to either Hulu or Disney Plus costs $7 per month, which annually is $84 dollars. However, consumers can get a bundle which consists of Disney Plus, Hulu with commercials and ESPN Plus, for the same monthly cost as Netflix: $13. The most valuable option money-wise would forgo Netflix for the bundle.
As for content, it’s really up to personal consumer preferences as to which is most valuable. In the amount of content, Netflix wins, having almost five times the number of shows and movies as Disney Plus.
Disney Plus offers nearly every Disney movie and show, as well as every season of “The Simpsons,” and the newest Marvel movies, such as the critically acclaimed “Avengers: Endgame.” However, Netflix has earned a cult following with its famous originals such as “Stranger Things” and “Peaky Blinders.”
Since the competition with Disney Plus pairing up with Hulu is going to put a toll on Netflix, Netflix announced that it was going to team up with Nickelodeon to form “a new, multi-year output deal to produce original animated feature films and television series.”
Disney Plus, Netflix and Hulu are all excellent streaming services, but only time will tell which consumers think is the most valuable. Disney Plus being introduced is just the beginning of a surplus of new streaming services; Peacock, HBO Max and Quibi are all coming out in 2020. That’s when consumers are going to have to figure out what streaming services to keep and which to forgo.
