What you need to know
- Disney has struck a deal with Comcast to bring Disney+ to Xfinity consoles.
- There will be a ton of upcoming Disney+ Originals for Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney/Pixar in the next year.
- Disney's Disney+ expansion in international countries are bringing small price bumps in certain regions.
- Pixar's Soul and Raya and The Last Dragon will be available on Disney+.
Disney just announced some exciting new expansions for subscribers outside of the US during the Disney Investor Day 2020 presentation. As of December 2, 2020, Disney+ has 86.8 million subscribers, which means a lot of those who had the free year through Verizon have continued to subscribe.
In the coming year, Disney+ will be getting a lot of brand new content, including Disney+ Originals. This will include 10 new Marvel series, 10 Star Wars series, 15 Disney and Pixar live action and animation series, as well as another 15 more shorter features. Disney is planning to bring new content to the Disney+ platform every week.
A number of films that were originally slated for release in the theater will be released as exclusive Disney+ Originals, like Pixar's Soul. Raya and The Last Dragon is also going to be launching on Disney+ Premiere Access in March 2021, alongside the theatrical release.
A big surprise is Disney's agreement with Comcast, which brings Disney+ to Xfinity consoles. This means Comcast subscribers will have access to Disney+ on their cable boxes, and you can sign up for Disney+ straight from your cable subscription.
Prior to the FY24 guidance, Disney+ had an estimated 60-90 million subscribers, with Hulu hovering around 40-60 million, and ESPN+ 8-12 million. As of December 2, 2020, Disney+ has 86.8 million, Hulu with 38.8 million, and ESPN+ has 11.5 million subscribers.
Some new international Disney+ news was revealed as well. With Disney+ Hotstar in India and Indonesia, customers will be able to get local India content in seven local languages and have an additional 17k hours of local programming content every year. There will be all major cricket sporting events too.
For Europe and Canada, there is going to be Disney+ Star. This is fully integrated into Disney+ as the sixth brand tile, and will bring a robust collection of original and live entertainment films and series. Disney+ Star is launching in Europe, Canada, ANZ, and Singapore on February 23, 2021. The additional content does mean a small price increase to €8.99, but this should not be affecting Disney+ subscribers outside of these countries.
Latin America will also get Star+ general entertainment TV series and movies from Disney's studios like 20th Century Studios, as well as soccer leagues, grand slam tennis, and more sporting events, local originals, and more. This is launching in June 2021 and it will be a standalone streaming service with live sports. It also has a more interactive home screen that will showcase new content front and center, have an improved "Continue Watching" feature, include live event programming, and removes any content from the screen when it's no longer available.
Disney is greatly expanding its streaming services outside of the US in the coming year, and adding a ton of new content for everyone, including the US, as well. It's an exciting time to be a Disney+ subscriber. If you aren't already a subscriber, here's .
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