Anyone else not renewing Disney Plus?

[doctornick]

I was kind of thinking what programming does D+ need to elevate the service. And I think it is really a tough call. More Marvel/Star Wars/Disney/Pixar spin offs are a given - and I think they need to have them being released a bit more frequently with overlap so there's also at least one new "big" IP going on at a time.

But I think it is the shoulder programming that suffers. We've enjoyed some of the more unique stuff like Mysterious Benedict Society and Jeff Goldblum (and I'll put my 2 cents in for Earth To Ned which I think is fantastic and hope it gets renewed) but a lot of the shows tend to be very generic family fare which predictable storylines. I mean, that's fine, but virtually no one is going to sign up for or keep D+ for Big Shot, Mighty Ducks, Diary of a Future President, Doogie, etc. You can get similar types of shows from so many other sources basically. I do think the park specific stuff stands out as unique but I'm not sure there's that much interest in such series from the general populace.

The problem is what they need is interesting and unique "random" series but doing that balancing with being family friendly will be tough. They need to have their Tiger King, Queen's Gambit, etc that just breakout and get attention by surprise. Thinking about it, Ted Lasso would have been perfect for Disney+

The problem is how to sell the service to people who aren't already big fans of Star Wars or Marvel or Disney/Pixar. I'm not sure there's an easy answer and it may very well put a ceiling on the number of subscribers compared to Netflix, etc.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I was kind of thinking what programming does D+ need to elevate the service. And I think it is really a tough call. More Marvel/Star Wars/Disney/Pixar spin offs are a given - and I think they need to have them being released a bit more frequently with overlap so there's also at least one new "big" IP going on at a time.

But I think it is the shoulder programming that suffers. We've enjoyed some of the more unique stuff like Mysterious Benedict Society and Jeff Goldblum (and I'll put my 2 cents in for Earth To Ned which I think is fantastic and hope it gets renewed) but a lot of the shows tend to be very generic family fare which predictable storylines. I mean, that's fine, but virtually no one is going to sign up for or keep D+ for Big Shot, Mighty Ducks, Diary of a Future President, Doogie, etc. You can get similar types of shows from so many other sources basically. I do think the park specific stuff stands out as unique but I'm not sure there's that much interest in such series from the general populace.

The problem is what they need is interesting and unique "random" series but doing that balancing with being family friendly will be tough. They need to have their Tiger King, Queen's Gambit, etc that just breakout and get attention by surprise. Thinking about it, Ted Lasso would have been perfect for Disney+

The problem is how to sell the service to people who aren't already big fans of Star Wars or Marvel or Disney/Pixar. I'm not sure there's an easy answer and it may very well put a ceiling on the number of subscribers compared to Netflix, etc.

That's symptomatic of the company as a whole. The laser focus of key IPs at the expense of everything else. That problem started when they killed Touchstone, and then realized that was a mistake and spent billions to get Fox...except most of that content isn't suitable for Disney+ USA. Love, Victor was the kind of show you're talking about IMO, but we all know what happened with that. They need more variety to their programming, but they've decided that variety is not on brand.

It's why Star works so well. That has the potential to be anything, and get the kind of "random" shows that work for the other platforms. The volume of back catalog content alone gives a huge boost to the value of Disney+ for the countries that can get it.

 

[BrianLo]

The problem is how to sell the service to people who aren't already big fans of Star Wars or Marvel or Disney/Pixar. I'm not sure there's an easy answer and it may very well put a ceiling on the number of subscribers compared to Netflix, etc.

I think it boils down to their desire to keep Hulu and D+ separate entities in the States. D+Star is easily four quadrant.

I don't know how they get around that and still keep Hulu at arms length. As long as two platforms exist, D+ will always lose the stuff that hasn't been grandfathered in already. Star Wars and Marvel can push the boundaries of the platform, but anything new will get shunted.

 

[Living the Life]

I've cancelled mine already however, my subscription is good until 11/22. I don't watch hardly anything on it.

 

[Whippet Mom]

I've had it since it started. watched everything I wanted to. I rarely look at it now. Maybe take a year or two off till they add a few things.

We have stopped it then started it back for short time and I'm getting ready to stop it again. We watched but seriously wanted to see and a few movies now there's not much new and exciting so I'm going to turn it off again for a few more months

 

[Jae Sea]

Got the initial 3 year package for cheap for D23 before D+ launched. Once that expires, I won't be renewing. Too much trash on it and I have or can access the Star Wars content I actually want to watch. I don't waste the majority of my life watching TV, though, so I don't get the value out of it others who have commented here probably do with the hours they put in on couches watching it. I'd rather experience real life.

 

[Disney Analyst]

It's not really fair, since we have the superior product in Canada thanks to Star. I'd say it's a solid staple now. Especially as more FX content stops being licensed out and comes to D+. I don't think the first year was very good, but the second definitely was. It's likely my most used streaming service.

I actually weirdly like Apple TV+ (and it seems like I'm chronically on a free subscription). It's very lean, but a lot of its shows I tend to like. Amazon Prime I could do without, outside of a couple shows... but it's also essentially 'free'.

As of late, I actually think Canadian Netflix is pretty poor for the price. They have me exactly because I never unsubscribe and have had it now for (?over) a decade.

Star is great. We’ve been watching Buffy!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I just renewed D+. I loved the SW and Mandalorian series. We watch alot of disney movies (animated) including the older ones.
We also love Nat. Geo. with their nature/animal shows. So, no, I won't cancel yet.
We have Netflix and watch it a lot too. Amazon Prime was okay, but I found I only watched Bosch and used their no charge for shipping, so I cancelled it and haven't missed it.

 

[Jedijax719]

Dozens of MCU and SW shows coming. All MCU, SW, and everything else coming to D+ after their theater runs, IN 4K nonetheless. Four blu rays or digital downloads a year would be more expensive than the yearly subscription. All the new Avatars will come to D+ too. Nope, not cancelling!

If anything, we are seriously thinking of dropping Netflix in favor of Amazon Prime (especially when the LOTR series drops next year).

 

[TwilightZone]

I just got disney+ this month, waited it out to have a fuller catalog.

 

[doctornick]

I know this is a biased site, but I’m curious: for those who think Disney+ is not “worth it”, what streaming services do you consider a better value and why?

I’m curious as to what areas D+ would need to improve to bring in/retain subscriptions

 

[The Colonel]

There's enough to keep me signed up for now, but there's a lot of their back catalog they still need to upload IMO.

I was really hoping Disney+ would be where we'd get the stuff they never finished or started releasing to DVD, but even what has been released to physical or other sites like Amazon/itunes or broadcast on TCM HD hasn't be posted yet.

They're making a sequel for Enchanted, but forgot to put the first movie on Disney+?

Enchanted is on D+

 

[erasure fan1]

The problem is what they need is interesting and unique "random" series but doing that balancing with being family friendly will be tough. They need to have their Tiger King, Queen's Gambit, etc that just breakout and get attention by surprise. Thinking about it, Ted Lasso would have been perfect for Disney+

Unfortunately Disney hasn't been interested in unique original content for a while now. At this point, I don't think they have the ability to do it anyway. It will take a huge effort and cost to turn it around. And that just isn't in the plans for Disney. It's all about the safe bet with no risk unfortunately.

 

[Jedijax719]

It depends on what kind of content people want. If you are a SW or MCU fan, it's worth it. If you are the kind that goes to see all the Disney movies, it is worth it. If you like all of the above, it is definitely worth it. If you want the more "adult" type original stuff, it may not be. I'm guessing that most people who do any streaming have at least 2 streaming services.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Unfortunately Disney hasn't been interested in unique original content for a while now. At this point, I don't think they have the ability to do it anyway. It will take a huge effort and cost to turn it around. And that just isn't in the plans for Disney. It's all about the safe bet with no risk unfortunately.

I get the impression these Marvel/Star Wars shows cost more to produce then your typically streaming drama series, but because Disney is so uninterested in doing anything else they have to commit huge sums of time and money to create these IP specific shows that limit how many they can realistically release in a year.

 

[sedati]

I let my annual lapse in October with plans for another year once Hawkeye premiered. Picked up the 1.99 offer which was worth it just for Shang-Chi and will sign up for another year after.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I get the impression these Marvel/Star Wars shows cost more to produce then your typically streaming drama series, but because Disney is so uninterested in doing anything else they have to commit huge sums of time and money to create these IP specific shows that limit how many they can realistically release in a year.

I'm sure they're expensive, but there's no way they aren't bringing in enough revenue to increase production.

Disney Plus Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)

After years of deliberation as to the shifting tides in entertainment, Disney announced Disney Plus in 2017, which would bring all of the company’s brands such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm under one roof. It launched two years later in November 2019. Disney first signalled an...

www.businessofapps.com

Disney Plus is projected to make over $10 billion for Disney in 2021, up from an estimated $4.5 billion in 2020

 

[Robbiem]

I think its a bit spotty in terms of content but the deal here in the UK is ok for the time being. I get there are existing rights issues but the content here is a bit odd - for example we get random planet of the apes or alien movies from the middle of the series but not the others an no episodes of classic Disney like true life adventures or shorts, I would live to be able to watch the complete goofy catalog for example. It feels like things are being held back to keep premiers going

As you can probably guess I’m a big Star Wars fan so I’ve spent the past 18 months or so going through the various animated shows and movies. I’m not a huge marvel fan but watched through the movies (have to say I enjoyed the xmen more than MCU) and enjoyed agent carter. I like some of the Fx content like Sons of Anarcy and Next as well.

To me the big issue is most of the content we watch is older movies from the 80/90s as there are more adult options. I’m also disappointed by the lack of regular new stuff but hope that’s down to covid/launch issues. You should really get at least one good new show or movie a week. I was a bit disappointed that I got an email for Disney plus day telling me I could watch Die Hard, a 30+ year old movie.

If Disney doesn’t keep up with this sort of content and becomes more kiddy centric I could cancel down the line, especially if I can watch similar shows on my Amazon prime or via the various free UK TV VoD outlets

 

[erasure fan1]

I get the impression these Marvel/Star Wars shows cost more to produce then your typically streaming drama series, but because Disney is so uninterested in doing anything else they have to commit huge sums of time and money to create these IP specific shows that limit how many they can realistically release in a year.

They are expensive but that seems to be offset a bit with how short the shows are. I appreciate a shorter season that's 10 to 12 episodes or so. But these Disney shows at 6 to 9 episodes with shorter run times seems to be because of cost. If they were pumping them out, then I would get it. But as of now, the seasons are too short for how spread out they are in my opinion. So it ends up being this strange mix of they cost a lot but still feels like they didn't spend enough.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Dozens of MCU and SW shows coming. All MCU, SW, and everything else coming to D+ after their theater runs, IN 4K nonetheless. Four blu rays or digital downloads a year would be more expensive than the yearly subscription. All the new Avatars will come to D+ too. Nope, not cancelling!

If anything, we are seriously thinking of dropping Netflix in favor of Amazon Prime (especially when the LOTR series drops next year).

What? Lord of the Rings is coming to Amazon Prime???? It would be a big draw for us to renew our AP subscription. We love LOTR. Do you know when it is coming to AP?