Image: Disney
From 24 March, Irish customers will be able to subscribe to streaming service Disney+, which offers content from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and more.
The Walt Disney Company has confirmed that its new streaming service Disney+ will be available in Ireland from 24 March.
The service will launch in a number of European countries on that date, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.
Additional western European markets, including Belgium, the Nordics and Portugal, will be able to access the service from summer 2020, according to the company.
As well as confirming the launch date, Disney also revealed that the service will be priced at €6.99 per month, or €69.99 for an annual subscription.
New and familiar content
In a statement, the company said: “Disney+ offers fans of all ages a new way to experience the unparalleled content from the company’s iconic entertainment brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, as well as exclusive original programming including feature-length films, series, documentaries, and short-form content made exclusively for the service.”
The platform will be available on most major mobile and connected TV devices, including games consoles, streaming media players and smart TVs. Users will be able to avail of up to four concurrent streams, unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices, and the ability to create up to seven different profiles on their Disney+ accounts.
Disney said that from the platform’s launch, subscribers will be able to access hundreds of familiar films and series, as well as new content including Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian, The World According To Jeff Goldblum and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which the company describes as a “modern take on the hit franchise complete with meta references” and “a fresh documentary-style feel”.
Trouble for Netflix?
The expansion of Disney+ could signal a serious shift in the streaming market for Netflix, which now has to compete with the new Apple TV+ service as well as Disney’s massive catalogue of assets.
Just a few of the companies owned and operated by Disney include Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox Animation, the FX television network, ABC, ESPN, Fox Networks and, of course, the Disney Channel.
When Disney+ was launched in the US in November 2019, the service gained more than 10m subscribers on its first day, however some customers were offered a year of the service for free as part of their phone and home internet packages.
Disney+ has yet to release a breakdown of how many of its subscriptions were organic and whether users opted for monthly or annual subscriptions. Meanwhile, Netflix, which launched its streaming platform in 2007, has around 158m subscribers worldwide.
