Coverage: Disney is launching a streaming service

Walt Disney Co. is launching a streaming service for 7,500 episodes and 500 movies that will cost $6.99 per month.

Andrew Keshner of MarketWatch.com had the news:

Disney will be able to release “Captain Marvel,” which was released on March 8

and has earned over $1 billion in the global box office ($377 million of that came from the U.S. market). It will also stream “The Simpsons,” “Dumbo,” “The Lion King,” “Lady & the Tramp,” as well as the “Star Wars” back catalogue.

It adds to a coterie of streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Netflix, for instance, has global hits like “The Crown,” and critical successes like “Russian Doll” and “Stranger Things,” “Black Mirror” and “Orange is the New Black.”

Amazon Prime has the Emmy-award winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Fleabag,” “Doctor Who,” “The Man in the High Castle,” “The Americans,” and classic shows like “The Wire,” “The Sopranos,” and “Cheers.”

“We wanted to reach as many people as possible,” Disney CEO Robert Iger said at Thursday’s rollout, detailing a subscription service that includes access to Disney films and television,along with its Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic brands.

JP Mangalindan of Yahoo Finance reported that Disney’s service generated more than Apple’s:

“Disney provided the most detailed insights yet into its new subscription-based streaming service (Disney+), with a U.S. launch now set for November 12,” CFRA Research analyst Tuna Amobi wrote in a note on Friday. “We were fairly impressed with a demo of the user interface for the new offering, with an unparalleled array of branded TV/film content.”

Apple, in stark contrast, did none of that during its Apple TV+ event in March, trotting out Hollywood celebrities like Oprah and Steven Spielberg but skimping on details like Apple TV+’s pricing and footage of any original content in the pipeline. Apple’s stock dipped 2% the day of the Apple TV+ announcement.

“Today’s presentation will show you where we’re going, but also remind you that we are starting from a position of strength and optimism,” CEO Bob Iger told analysts and media at Disney’s Investors Day on Thursday.

To that end, Disney emphasized its newly combined stable of streaming services and content, including Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, as well as the huge trove of shows it now possesses, thanks in part to the $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which closed in March.

Alex Sherman of CNBC.com reported that the announcement will set off a streaming battle:

By the end of the year, consumers will have enough streaming content at their disposal to start asking the big question: Which of these services do I need, and which can I live without?

This is a question for cord-cutters and pay-TV subscribers alike. Consumers won’t pay for everything.

Disney+ is all about family programming. That puts a target on Viacom’s Noggin, for example, which is actually more expensive than Disney+ at $7.99 a month. Disney+ could replace it for families with kids who can live without Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig and Dora the Explorer.

If not, those parents will need to make a cut elsewhere.

Amazon Prime Video will almost certainly be safe from any Disney-inspired purge. The video is basically a throw-in for free shipping for most households.