By We’ve been hearing a lot about Disney’s upcoming streaming service for quite sometime, but we may finally have a name for it: Disney Play is what Disney CEO Bob Iger has referred it to, according to Variety. The service is said to be launching in late 2019.
Disney Play will largely depend on the studio’s 2019 slate of films to attract new customers—starting with Captain Marvel, all future theatrical releases will go to Disney’s own servicerather than Netflix. These titles include Dumbo, Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Frozen 2, Avengers 4, and Star Wars: Episode IX.
Disney Play will also be the home of exclusive content, such as a Jon Favreau-created live-action Star Wars series, The Clone Wars revival, television shows based on Marvel, High School Musical, and Monsters Inc., along with several original film and television projects. An analyst cited in the Variety report estimates that Disney Play will need “40 million subscribers paying $6 a month” to break even.
While the service will be less expensive than Netflix, the idea of Disney needing their own exclusive streaming platform is a bit questionable, especially considering that their acquisition of 21st Century Fox will give the company majority ownership of preexisting streaming service Hulu. Whatever your thoughts and feelings are on potentially paying for Another Damn Streaming Service, Disney is at least pulling out all the stops to justify Disney Play.
Now excuse me as I brood over the fact that “Disney Play” doesn’t sound nearly as catchy as my choice of name, “Disney Direct.” Alliterations, baby.