Did the streaming industry really need Disney+?

Disney+ is taking all over the world. Following the huge success in the US (when it was first released on November 12th, it almost reached 10 millions of subscribers in just two days), from March 24th, 2020 the new streaming service is available in 7 European Countries (Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, then it will come to France from April 7th, 2020). The price is set to 6,99€ a month, whilst the annual subscription is 69,99€. The service can be streamed on every mobile device, TV Smart and consoles and makes its debut along with 26 original productions, including the new series from the Star Wars saga: The Mandalorian. 

If you can dream it, you can do it. That's the motto of The Walt Disney Company. Founded by Walt Disney and his brother Roy, it is the biggest multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate in the world so far. In its history, the company has set every record (cinema, television, publishing, theme parks). Today, Disney is ready to go on a new adventure: the streaming industry.

Among the many enthusiasts, there are still many people feeling more sceptical about Disney+. Their point is that the streaming market seems already full of options: Netflix and Prime Video own the first place, but even on a local level a user is full of choices (just think of Rai Play in Italy, along with Sky and Infinity). In the light of these competitors, why should the public be interested in subscribing to a new streaming service?

The Lion King can't be the only reason. Disney+'s catalogue is full of its iconic successes (all the great Walt Disney Animation Studios films, as well as the live-action titles as Pirates of the Caribbean). Among its original productions, The Mandalorian is the most hyped: it's the series where Baby Yoda made its debut, becoming an icon as strong as the "old" Yoda. To be honest, except for that the catalogue doesn't seem so interesting: there are the Lady and the Tramp live-action series, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The World According To Jeff Goldblum, a docu-series by National Geographic; and there are even the first 30 seasons of The Simpsons. But if one is paying to have Netflix and Prime Video, why should he pay too to see the reboot of High School Musical?

Things change if we think about the long-term perspective. It would be a mistake to think about Disney as "one of animated films" that made our childhood: The Walt Disney Company is a money machine with no precedents, a conglomerate group that comprehends some of the biggest and most important industries of entertainment and in the cinematographic production. Its list of subsidiaries is almost scary: Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, ABC, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Fox Television, Searchlight Pictures, Hulu and ESPN.

To be clear: the Avengers saga is Disney's, as well as the Star Wars'. It means that including the titles from 20th Century Fox, the first high-crossing movies of all time in the history of cinema are owned by Disney: Avengers: Endgame, Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War. Furthermore, almost every Wes Anderson film is owned by Disney (The Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr Fox, Isle of Dogs), as well as many recent Academy-Award® nominated: Interstellar, Birdman, The Revenant, The Favorite, Jojo Rabbit. The Devil Wears Prada is Disney's, among with many and many others. Not only cinema but TV series: Lost, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, 24, Glee, Prison Break, The Simpsons and The Griffins are Disney's. Damn, Grey’s Anatomy is Disney's!

It's still not clear neither when or how (or if) the Company will decide to claim its exclusivity on all of these products, but the long-term prediction could be tragic. Disney+ just arrived on the market, but it already is the most dangerous competitor (and that's why Netflix and Prime Video are engaging in the massive production of original and hyped contents). It's not easy to compete with Disney, but nobody says that ti's impossible. Moreover, how did the motto say? If you can dream it, you can do it.

To subscribe to Disney+ and learn everything about its service, visit the official site disneyplus.com