2. Programming Trends

Streaming services have been around for years and have become a staple for a lot of people. The competition has been ramping up between the top sites, and that competition has only been increased since the release of Disney Plus.  

Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television created Disney Plus as an on-demand, ad-free streaming service. It launched November 12, 2019 and has gotten over 26 million subscribers since then. With Disney Plus, subscribers can stream thousands of shows and movies from their devices. This service includes unlimited downloads, unlike Netflix, who only allows downloads on certain content.  

Disney Plus is affordable at $6.99 per month, or $69.99 per year. For most users, there is a 7-day free trial, but people who have an unlimited data plan with Verizon can get up to a year free. There is also a bundle option, which gets you Disney Plus along with Hulu and ESPN+. The bundle package costs $12.99 per month, which is about the same price as a 2-screen subscription to Netflix.  

Disney Plus offers a large variety of content from 5 brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Almost all of the recent Disney shows, and movies have been released on the site. They even released some movies “from the vault.” The vault movies are ones that are nearly impossible to find unless you rent or bootleg it online and includes movies like The Black Cauldron and Fantasia.  

It is not all animation either. You can binge watch your favorite Marvel movies, or catch up on the last season of The Incredible Dr. Pol. You can even learn all about the ocean with a National Geographic documentary. Disney Plus also offers a wide variety of original programming. Some examples of their original content are The Lady and the Tramp and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.  

One of the biggest video trends today is binge-worthy shows. The more in-depth and longer a show is, the more subscribers you will get. Disney Plus is at a disadvantage, with their main brand being children’s animation. However, they are producing a few binge-worthy shows, including High School Musical: The Musical - The Series and The Mandalorian. Three Marvel original shows are expected to release in late 2020 and early 2021. These three shows will only be 6 episodes long, and there is not a lot known about them.  

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is expected to premiere in late 2020 and follows Anthony Mackie’s character (Sam Wilson/The Falcon) as he takes the mantle of Captain America. Sebastian Stan who plays Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier will also star in the show.  

WandaVision is expected to premiere in fall 2020 and will follow Elizabeth Olsen’s character Scarlett Witch and her relationship with Vision (played by Paul Bettany). 

Loki is the last Marvel show in the trio and will be released in early 2021. The series will follow a version of the character that has not gone through the redemptive arc in the last Thor movies or Avengers: Infinity War. The series will reportedly show Loki traveling through different time periods.  

Disney Plus appeals to a family demographic, especially if the household has small kids. The inclusion of shows like The Mandalorian and the upcoming Marvel TV shows are Disney’s way of getting into an older demographic as well as the binge-watching trend. I think Disney Plus has a great idea going and can only get better with the inclusion of longer, more in-depth original shows. Since it is has only been out for a few months, there is plenty of time for it to grow.  

Here are all the Disney Plus originals coming to the streaming site in 2020.