The Disney+ takeover

Many UB students have invited a mouse into their homes.

But they aren’t putting out traps, they’re making popcorn and getting ready for a nostalgia-binge.

Disney is taking over the streaming market with Disney+, the online streaming service released to the public on Nov. 12 after roughly a year of planning. On March 20, Disney bought all 21st Century Fox’s media assets for $71.3 billion, making Disney the largest media powerhouse on the market.

Access to the service costs $6.99 a month. It also offers a $12.99 monthly bundle which includes access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ and a seven-day free trial.

Disney gained control of several intellectual properties in recent years, owning Marvel, Pixar Animations, Star Wars, ESPN and National Geographic. The Disney + subscription comes with full access to popular movies and television series like “High School Musical,” “Lizzie McGuire,” “Moana,” “Tangled” and a special “out of the vault” category with classic Disney animations such as “Cinderella” and “The Lion King.” It will also include Fox’s “The Simpsons.”

Pioneering streaming service Netflix no longer has a monopoly on the online streaming market as other streaming services become available. And with Disney+ on the rise, students feel psyched, hopeful and nostalgic.

Juli Cole, a junior psychology major, signed up for the free trial as soon as Disney+ was released and says the service reminds her of her childhood. 

“I am most definitely going to continue my subscription after my free trial ends,” Cole said. “I feel like I am reliving my childhood. All the classic TV shows and movies are all on Disney+, even ones I forgot existed [and] I could not be happier.”

Disney began removing its movies and TV shows from Netflix in 2018 and moving everything to Disney+, according to CNBC.

Rose Owens, a junior speech and hearing science major, was excited when she heard of  the Disney+ release.

“I was more excited for the fact that I was going to be able to watch new shows and movies,” Owens said, “I feel like I’ve watched everything I could possibly watch on Netflix.”

Some students, like senior public health major Matthew Lee, dislikes Netflix Originals for their “terrible acting and predictable storylines.” While Netflix changed the way consumers access media, many believe Disney is still breaking new boundaries.

 Lexi Miller, a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic, believes that Netflix has no chance surviving now that Disney+ has entered the movie streaming market and has been released to the public.

 “Netflix is just going to keep going downhill from here,” Miller, a junior music theater major, said. “I am so happy I switched over to Hulu and got Disney+.” 

 

The features desk can be reached at features@ubspectrum.com.