The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday it will soon offer a streaming service straight from Disney to consumer, and services will include Hulu, ESPN+, Hotstar and the upcoming Disney+ service. It includes Disney movies, all 30 seasons of The Simpsons, Pixar and Marvel, Star Wars and even some classics owned by Fox.
Disney made the announcement for Disney+ through a statement on its website. It is tentatively scheduled to launch in the U.S. market on Nov. 12, 2019, for $6.99 per month.
Among the brands expected to show on the stream will be Disney, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Wars. Furthermore, the service can be streamed through both TV and mobile devices.
"Disney+ marks a bold step forward in an exciting new era for our company—one in which consumers will have a direct connection to the incredible array of creative content that is The Walt Disney Company's hallmark. We are confident that the combination of our unrivaled storytelling, beloved brands, iconic franchises, and cutting-edge technology will make Disney+ a standout in the marketplace, and deliver significant value for consumers and shareholders alike," Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said.
In addition to content already in its chambers, Disney+ will also launch "25 original series and 10 original films, documentaries and specials" from storytellers.
Disney announced Thursday new original titles through Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney Television Animation and National Geographic.
Disney also said it will include "family-friendly Fox titles like The Sound of Music, The Princess Bride and Malcolm in the Middle" as a way to include 500 films and more than 7,500 TV episodes in its streaming vault.
"We're extremely excited about our growing portfolio of direct-to-consumer offerings. As we demonstrated today, with Disney+ we will deliver extraordinary entertainment in innovative ways to audiences around the world," said Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disney's management team. "We'll continue to enhance the user experience with a constant pipeline of high-quality programming, making the service even more appealing to consumers."
The Disney streaming services will be available through smart TVs and streaming media devices, gaming consoles, and much of the content will be available for offline viewing.
After its U.S.debut, Disney plans to launch the streaming worldwide where services are available.
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