In a report by Variety, it was revealed that Disney’s new Netflix competitor will be called Disney Play.
The service which has previously be referred to as DisneyFlix, will be giving up “about $300 million in annual revenue it currently gets from Netflix for pay-TV rights to its theatrical releases.”
What Movies will be on Disney Play?
Starting in March, the company will let their licensing deal with Netflix expire. This means all Disney films starting with Captain Marvel will go on the Disney streaming service. This includes the live-action remake of Dumbo and the next Avengers film.
They will also be making films exclusively available for the service like live action remakes of Lady and the Tramp and The Sword in the Stone, the Anna Kendrick Christmas comedy Noelle, and Timmy Failure, based on the best-selling books.
What Television Shows will be on Disney Play?
Disney will make television series based on their films Monsters Inc. and High School Musical. There are discussions to bring a return of the Muppets, as well as new originals in the Marvel-universe.
Disney confirmed that Marvel’s current original shows on Netflix will stay with the streaming service.
It is expected that Fox’s shows like The Simpsons will remain on Hulu (of which Disney is now the majority owner), in an attempt to make the service mostly family friendly.
Their most ambitious project though is a $100 million, 10 episodes live-action Star Wars TV series from Iron Man director John Favreau.
Can Disney Play Compete with Netflix?
With Netflix expected to spend $8B on content next year, Disney will have to spend aggressively in order to keep up with the streaming giant.
While we don’t know all the details like launch date and pricing, we do know is that with their existing film library, upcoming shows in production, and the technology from BAMTech — that they are in the best position of any to compete with Netflix.