Disney will soon compete with Netflix with two different streaming services

The highly anticipated Disney+ streaming service is being positioned to compete with Netflix, but with the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney is also responsible for growing Hulu.

On a conference call last week, Bob Iger, Disney’s Chairman, and CEO, talked both Disney+ and Hulu.

After revealing that the name of the new service, Iger shared that the platform is expected to become available about a year from now in late 2019. Disney+ should be a strong entry into the streaming space. Not only is it anticipated that it will host Disney’s vast catalog of movies and TV shows, but it has also been announced that it will offer original content from some of the company’s most beloved franchises, including Star Wars and Marvel.

Meanwhile, Iger indicated that Disney also has big plans to expand Hulu, especially by increasing its original content. After the deal for 21st Century Fox goes through, Disney will have a 60% ownership stake in Hulu, so it will be responsible for driving Hulu into the future.

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So far, it’s estimated that Hulu’s budget for originals has been half of Netflix’s. While Hulu has had some success in this arena, especially with the critically acclaimed and award-winning The Handmaid’s Tale, Iger wants to increase the number of original hits released on the platform. He also implied the adjusting the service’s pricing and increasing its international reach could make it more competitive.

When streaming began, services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime provided content that had already been broadcast or screened elsewhere. It was Netflix that started the current rush of original streaming content, and today streaming services offer so much of it that it’s a challenge for viewers to keep up.

Hulu has been decidedly more measured in its approach to original programming, spending just as much time championing viewers’ ability to watch current TV seasons through its platform.

Shifting Hulu’s focus to originals could open up new avenues. At the same time, however, Hulu can’t become another Disney+. If Disney works with the team at Hulu to leverage 21st Century Fox’s content, much of which wouldn’t be at home on Disney+, the two services could be appealing to viewers for very different reasons.

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With Disney+ launching next year and Hulu expanding at the same time, as well as additional streaming platforms from big players like Apple becoming available, 2019 could be a banner year for streaming services. On the other hand, with so many choices, both in terms of original content and streamers to subscribe to, 2019 may shed light on when the market for streaming content may hit a ceiling.

Are you looking forward to Disney+ and more original content from Hulu? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Yahoo! Finance

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