From theme parks to princesses, Disney has its hands in pretty much everything. As a company that created five of the ten highest-grossing movies of 2019, the announcement of its new streaming service, Disney+, was anything but surprising.
With a monthly price tag of $6.99, Disney attempts to take over the streaming platform industry with its collection of both beloved classics and newer content. The mixture of not only movies but also the brands under the Disney name is what makes Disney+ so different from other streaming platforms. Subscribers can find anything from The Simpsons to Star Wars while browsing, giving consumers many viewing options which appeals to a broader audience.
Although Disney+ does have many “pluses,” it also has its drawbacks, mainly being the fact that there is barely any “new” and non-nostalgic content to binge. Disney promised the network would be a permanent vault for Disney classics, but removed films like the original “Home Alone” duology shortly after Christmas. Similarly, Disney also has many movies that won’t be released on the platform until either later this year or in 2021 due to existing agreements.
Clearly they cannot change these agreements, but they did make it seem as if every Disney movie would be on the platform, only for fans to find out they won’t be able to watch it until a later date. These practices make it seem as if Disney shouldn’t have released Disney+ until they knew all of the titles would appear on the platform.
If Disney+ wants to cater to its diverse audience, creators need to understand that they should come up with new, different content for all ages. The company could delve more into the realm of content for not only children but also teenagers and adults. To ensure the platform still remains appropriate for its younger audience, Disney could establish some sort of parental control feature.
The choice on whether Disney+ is worth it depends on what consumers are looking for. While Disney does have a large amount of content within the service, not all of it is diverse and appropriate for all audiences. As of right now, Disney+ seems to be a place to awaken nostalgia, not find new binge-worthy programming.
