10 Facts About Disney+, The New Streaming Service That’s Coming to S’pore in Feb 2021

Lest you didn’t know, Disney+, the streaming service that promises an abundance of Disney content, is set to hit Singapore this coming February.

And though the news may seem lukewarm at best, considering how accustomed we have gotten to the whole “Netflix and chill” gimmick, there may yet be further revelations in the horizon.

See, Disney+ may comprise loads of children-friendly content, the likes of which may seem limited in comparison to a behemoth like Netflix. But where they lack, they make it up with a vein of new content…

That sound unbelievably promising.

To sum it all up in one phrase? Loki.

The original TV show that would supposedly tie in with the upcoming Marvel flick Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Well, that’s certainly a real teaser alright.

And so, without further ado, here are 10 facts about Disney+…

The streaming service that may just knock Netflix off its long-taken perch.

10 Facts About Disney+, The New Streaming Service That’s Coming to S’pore in Feb 2021

1. Disney+

For the uninitiated, Disney+ is a subscription-based streaming video service that’s not unlike Netflix, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video.

As its name implies, the video service is owned by Disney.

Unlike what its name may portray, there is no counterpart named Disney-.

Yet. We don’t know.

2. Launch

Disney+ was originally unveiled in September 2017.

It was subsequently launched on 12 November 2019 in such places as the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

On 31 March 2020, the streaming platform branched out to the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

It’s set to reach local shores this February 2021.

3. Price

Disney+ will be available for S$11.98 a month, or S$119.98 a year.

Yes, it’s similar to Netflix.

And like like Netflix, the streaming service can be viewed at any time, across a diverse range of devices.

Accounts will purportedly be able to support four simultaneous streams, with zero ads in between.

4. Content

The streaming service offers an entire library of movies and TV shows – including a wealth of content from Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic.

Relatively new Disney movies such as Frozen 2, Toy Story 4 and Mulan will appear on the platform sometime after their cinematic and home-video releases.

According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disney+ will stream everything under the Disney banner in due time, though more mature shows (that are produced through Disney-owned Fox) will be distributed to Hulu.

5. Marvel

According to the news report, Disney+ will air seven live-action shows that are directly linked to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and suffice to say, they’re exclusive to Disney+.

These include Falcon and Winter Soldier, Loki, WandaVision and Hawkeye.

Apparently, the Marvel series was originally slated to begin rolling out near the third quarter of 2020, but complications arose due to the pandemic.

As a result, filming was affected, and the release dates were subsequently pushed back.

6. Several Remakes

A series of old fan favourites has also been scheduled for a makeover on the streaming platform.

According to Digital Trends, Hilary Duff has signed on to appear in a Lizzie McGuire revival.

Home Alone, which was a Fox property, is also due for a remake. In April 2020, it was announced that Macaulay Culkin, who starred as Kevin McCallister in the initial films, will reprise his role in the remake.

However, reception to the Home Alone announcement has largely been negative. Many felt that the original films were perfect, and that there was no real need for a do-over.

7. Pilot Programme

In late 2015, Disney actually started a streaming service in the United Kingdom to, for lack of a better phrase, test the waters.

The service was named DisneyLife at the time.

On 24 March 2020, it was officially replaced by Disney+.

8. Expanding Fanbase

On 10 December 2020, Disney announced that they have 86 million subscribers on the streaming service – one year after it first launched.

Apparently, by the end of its first day, the service had already collated ten million subscribers.

For comparsion’s sake, Netflix has almost 200 million subscribers.

9. Controversy

However, the success of Disney+ is not without hiccups.

On 18 November 2019, an investigation led by ZDNet unveiled that thousands of users’ accounts have been hacked using keystroke logging or info-stealing malware.

Email addresses and passwords were changed, causing original owners to be locked out of their own accounts.

Apparently, their login information was subsequently posted on the dark web – a seedy platform where shady dealings go on without detection.

But hey: it’s been one year, so it should be safe now. Right?

10. Ever-growing

If there’s one thing about Disney, it would be their vigorous, seemingly insatiable hunger for ‘success’.

That is to say; they do not seem content until they emerge as first on the podium.

Tthe service is set to boast over 50 original series, 10,000 past episodes and over 620 movies by the time 2024 comes around.

And though their progress may have been somewhat stunted by the emergence of the pandemic, one thing seems sure;

They will still reach, or at least be close to, their target in one way or another.

As such, watch out, Netflix. For all we know…

You may just be swallowed by this particular behemoth within the next decade.

It’s unknown if Disney contents in Netflix would be removed from Netflix, but if that really happens, we’re pretty sure the phrase “Disney+ & Chill” would take off.

Featured Image: Eliseu Geisler / Shutterstock.com