Disney+ streaming service in most UK viewer's blindspot

65% of viewers in for a shock when the MCU disappears from Netflix!

by Andy Bassett
Movies & TV Shows News

42

Disney+ streaming service in most UK viewer's blindspot
Just 35% of UK consumers are aware of Disney’s plans to launch their own streaming service later this year, reveals new research by GlobalWebIndex.
From Steamboat Willie though to the very first feature length animation, Snow White, from the glory days of the original Jungle Book cartoon to the early nineties renaissance and now onto the current re-imagining of their classics, most folks who are interested in the moving image will have a working knowledge of Walt Disney’s legacy.

However what 65% of them won’t have, according to GlobalWebIndex, is an awareness of the media giant's upcoming streaming service, Disney+. This contrasts with those surveyed in the US, where 50 percent of respondents were aware of the service and 60% said they would be prepared to pay up to $20 for access.

Of the 3000 UK residents surveyed, 31 percent considered themselves ‘Disney Fans’ and of those, 51 percent said they would be prepared to spend up to £10 per month for a Disney Plus subscription.

Of these self confessed ‘Disney Fans,’ 71 percent already use Netflix and 37% percent use Amazon Prime. And from the total number of respondents, 57 percent already spent up to £20 on their TV and film subscription services, begging the question, how much extra will consumers be prepared to add to their monthly entertainment budgets.

Extrapolating this revealing data could give Disney pause for thought. Given the low awareness of their plans, the upcoming exodus of content from existing streaming services over to Disney+ could be construed as an unfair penalty on the consumer, rather than as an enticement to take up a new subscription.

Disney+ streaming service in most UK viewer
Clearly, Disney will want to emphasise the advantages of moving over to their own service and no doubt are hoping that leveraging their high profile content such as The Lion King, Frozen 2 and the latest MCU blockbusters, all due to make their bow on the service soon after launch, will be all the encouragement that’s needed.

When asked what kind of content would persuade viewers to subscribe to Disney Plus, 37 percent stated that Pixar movies would encourage them followed by Marvel content at 32% and new, exclusive Disney shows and films at 28%.

However, Pixar animations are time consuming to produce, so a new Pixar event movie is only going to come around every 18 months or so - is that enough to keep fans watching?

Senior trends analyst, Chris Beer, commented, “With Pixar proving most appealing among content that could entice consumers to subscribe to Disney Plus, the recent success of Toy Story 4 in the box office will give Disney a lot of confidence in their ambition to win a strong foothold in the UK video streaming market. The most important focus for the new service will be paying close attention to the content demands of its diverse, family-oriented audience.

It’s here that back catalogue and new shows will prove important in keeping the viewers engaged, and planned series such as the Star Wars based The Mandalorian and MCU’s Falcon and Winter Soldier, currently being co-written by John Wick creator, Derek Kolstad, could be crucial in keeping the service fresh and relevant. If consumers feel they are only getting the occasional blockbuster for their subscription fee, then the constantly changing content landscape of Netflix might have a rekindled appeal.

Disney+ will launch in the US on Nov 12th 2019 for a monthly fee of $6.99. No UK launch date or price has been officially announced.

Are AVForums members surprised at the low awareness of Disney+ amongst the UK public? What are AVForums members' plans for the service? Is it a day one subscription for members or are you waiting to see how platforms from the likes of Apple and WarnerMedia pan out first?

Source: www.drum.com, www.netimperative.com,www.rapidtvnews.com
Image Source: Disney
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