Mikey Campbell
Adding to an already impressive list of hardware launch partners, Disney's upcoming Disney+ streaming service will offer support for Amazon's Fire TV platform when it bows on Nov. 12.
Disney CEO Bob Iger in an interview with CNBC on Thursday announced the partnership with Amazon, struck at the eleventh hour as the entertainment giant makes final preparations for next week's Disney+ debut.
"So, significant, significant progress in terms of distribution deals," Iger said.
A report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday suggested Disney and Amazon were at odds over terms that would allow the streaming service on Fire TV, with Amazon reportedly pushing for rights to ad space in Disney apps. The two companies apparently hammered out a deal, though details of the arrangement have not been made public.
Disney+ is slated to launch on devices made by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roku and Sony. That covers nearly the entire streaming market, save for major player Tizen and Nintendo.
Along with Apple's iOS, Disney+ will be offered on Android hardware, providing access to users of the world's two dominant smartphone platforms.
Disney+ offers subscribers a treasure trove of content from Disney and its vast holdings, which as of March includes 21st Century Fox. Along with new releases, users are granted access to a sweeping back catalog of content that contains classic films from the elusive "Disney Vault." Like other streaming services, Disney is also investing in original content and will debut series and specials that tap into owned brands Star Wars and the Marvel Universe.
The service launches Nov. 12 in the U.S. for a monthly fee of $6.99 or a discounted rate of $69.99 per year. Canada and the Netherlands will see access on launch day, with a rollout in Australia and New Zealand to follow a week later.
Disney in a tweet on Thursday announced an expansion into the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain on March 31, 2020.
William Gallagher
Malcolm Owen
Charles Martin
8 Comments
Apple TV+ is on a lot of different hardware too.
I have an Apple TV 3rd gen, an Apple TV 4K, a Roku Streaming stick and a Firestick 4k, and I have the Apple TV+ app on all of them.
I think that it's a good thing that Apple decided to bring their app to a lot of different hardware, and not just to Apple TVs and Apple devices. This opens up their service to a larger market.
I wonder if the Disney service will offer any free trial. I don't think I've read anything about that anywhere.
If they do, I'll probably check it out briefly, just to see how it is and how the streaming quality is. I'm not a huge fan of what Disney has done to certain franchises. I'm not crazy about Marvel movies, there are so many of them now, and I don't follow them at all, and I'm not a big fan of the later Star Wars Movies.
I'll probably check out that new Star Wars series briefly to see if they messed that one up or not.