Disney+ vs. Netflix: the Biggest Battle in the Streaming Service War

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Nowadays, it is more common than not for consumers to use streaming services to watch television and movies. From Netflix to Hulu to Amazon Prime, there are multiple ways to watch media without cable. However, as more and more streaming services enter the market, it’s no surprise that Disney is the next major film and television company to develop one. With the introduction of Disney+, Disney’s new streaming service, what does this mean for other streaming service giants such as Netflix?

First and foremost, the introduction of Disney+ means the loss of Disney films and television series from other streaming services. This means the loss of Pixar movies, Disney princess movies, as well as the Disney Channel and Disney Junior shows. Disney+ will also feature the iconic Star Wars and Marvel franchises. For some people, this takes away the purpose of having Netflix entirely as Disney content is the majority of what some viewers watch and is cheaper than Netflix.

Even so, Netflix has plenty of content from other cable channels as well as their own original content. With the content from Disney gone, Netflix will still have more on their streaming service than Disney+ and they constantly adding more and more content to the service. In fact, the lower price of Disney+ is mostly due to the fact that it will have a smaller content library than Netflix. Not surprisingly, Disney+ content will mainly be Disney. While some of that content is for children and adults like, Disney+ still will not offer the maturity level that adults will be seeking at times from television and movies. Disney is working to counteract this content problem, though, by using content from Hulu and ESPN+. Perhaps another advantage for Disney is that the quality of content featured on Netflix is not necessarily the primary concern of the service. In fact, at the beginning of 2020, Netflix is losing some of its biggest titles including The Office and Friends

Netflix, however, is more well known. Netflix has been streaming since 2007, and it is often the first streaming service that comes to mind when people think about the different platforms. Screenrant says, “Netflix caught lightning in a bottle with their streaming service…and now every company is just playing catch-up.” Even though Disney+ could hurt Netflix membership slightly, Netflix already has a significant membership base. Subscribers of Netflix will likely remain loyal, while Disney+ will be fighting to earn subscribers from other streaming services. 

On the whole, there are many perspectives to consider in the battle between Disney+ and Netflix. While it is not totally certain who will be the front-runner, it will be interesting to see how the two streaming services compete with each other. It is clear that, no matter the result, the future of media is changing, and the public is just along for the ride.