The presentation provided a good deal of information about the platform’s features and structure, including subscription costs. Disney+ subscriptions will cost $6.99 per month, or $69.99 per year.
The platform will be structured similarly to Netflix, greeting users with a variety of recommended programs based on their viewing and download history, along with new additions. The content will be spread over Disney’s five primary media holdings: Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic.
Disney has not yet confirmed how many movies and TV shows will be included with the service at launch, though CEO Robert Iger said the company plans to gradually increase the amount of content and production of exclusives as time goes on.
Coinciding with the service’s reveal was the announcement of several new projects that will release on Disney+ on Day One, including a new Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, which centers on a bounty hunter. The platform will also be the exclusive streaming home of The Simpsons, featuring all 30 seasons of the show.
Disney+ can be viewed on mobile devices, smart TVs, and web browsers, along with game consoles. In fact, the partnership with Sony for PlayStation 4 support was one of the first confirmed deals with outside companies for Disney+.
A graphic was presented during the stream showing systems Disney wants Disney+ support on, including Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, but as of now, there are no details about when deals might happen or if they even will.
All Disney+ content can be downloaded and viewed offline, and each viewer can create their own account. The head of Disney’s direct-to-consumer department, Kevin Mayer, also said Disney+ will provide 4K viewing on TVs able to support it.
Since content can be viewed offline, it eliminates internet speed and latency issues after the initial download. Similar to PlayStation Now and other streaming services, users wishing to view primarily in offline mode will only need to check in once a week.
