Disney's Streaming Services: Disney+ (and Hulu, ESPN+, Star, & hotstar)

[MisterPenguin]

I honestly don't think Hulu's future is in question. With Disney, Hulu will be there in one form or another. And after 3 years I haven't seen any major reports of "Hulu fans" being upset by any "struggle" of uncertainty.

But lets play out this scenario that you keep insisting is a potential, Comcast buying Hulu. Ok, so Disney and Comcast rip up the existing agreement and Disney allows Comcast to buy Disney's 66% and take over Hulu. Once they take full control of Hulu, Comcast then moves all content from Hulu to Peacock, Hulu gets shutdown, and all users of Hulu are now Peacock users. Because why would Comcast keep Hulu around as a separate service instead of merging it with their own service, they wouldn't. They'd cannibalize it just for the users and content to bolster up their own service, as they don't care about the Hulu service itself. So how is that any better for Hulu users?

And once Hulu subscribers realize they are now Peacock subscribers, they immediately unsub.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Disney owns the rights to the Fox library, but I can't watch something like The Poseidon Adventure on Disney+ under Star?

Maybe they don't want you seeing that before booking your sailing on the Disney Wish...

 

[Phroobar]

Disney owns the rights to the Fox library, but I can't watch something like The Poseidon Adventure on Disney+ under Star?

Maybe they don't want you seeing that before booking your sailing on the Disney Wish...

I would totally watch the Poseidon Adventure on a new year's Disney cruise.

 

[doctornick]

Disney owns the rights to the Fox library, but I can't watch something like The Poseidon Adventure on Disney+ under Star?

Maybe they don't want you seeing that before booking your sailing on the Disney Wish...

I'm sure somewhere out there is the information, but I feel like there is a ton of Fox content that is not being used on any Disney owned service. Maybe some if tied up in prior rights agreements with third party streamers, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a lot out there that Disney could put out if they wanted. I feel like a drip of older content onto Hulu or Disney+ or Disney+/Star would be a good thing to reflect that the services are always adding new things. It's a good thing to have the "New on ____" line constantly having some items; it encourages people to check in frequently and see what is availabile.

Also, I wonder how many old FOX or ABC network shows there are that Disney has the rights to that they could put on streamers as "classic content".

 

[Disney Irish]

Disney owns the rights to the Fox library, but I can't watch something like The Poseidon Adventure on Disney+ under Star?

Maybe they don't want you seeing that before booking your sailing on the Disney Wish...

Its not available on Hulu in the US either, but is currently available as a PVOD title on Amazon, AppleTV, GooglePlay, Vudu, RedBox, etc. So it would seem that its streaming rights are locked up elsewhere, which is common for older movies.

 

[erasure fan1]

So D+ has 5 of the top 10 shows that were pirated in 2022:

View attachment 689864

‘House of the Dragon’ Is The Most Pirated TV-Show of 2022 * TorrentFreak

'House of the Dragon' is the most-pirated TV show released on torrent sites in 2022. The Game of Thrones successor replaces 'Wandavision'.

torrentfreak.com

This isn't all that surprising in my opinion. Just look at all the YouTube channels that are very anti Disney. And look at all the followers. They all seem to be able to talk about the Disney shows and give recaps and breakdowns. I highly doubt any of them are actually paying for D+.

 

[Disney Irish]

This isn't all that surprising in my opinion. Just look at all the YouTube channels that are very anti Disney. And look at all the followers. They all seem to be able to talk about the Disney shows and give recaps and breakdowns. I highly doubt any of them are actually paying for D+.

I don't see these as showing a anti-Disney download/piracy watch, though I'm sure some of that is happening too. I think what it shows is that the D+ series are actually more popular (ie must see) than their Nielsen numbers represent.

And that I suspect Disney and other streamers will actually start to crack down on the downloading of shows and sharing of shows as they try to make the service more profitable.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Piracy is what it is, and will never go away. A portion of people will pay and a portion of people will steal, and this will always be the case. If a show is popular more people will pay AND more people will steal. It's not good for the companies, but it's just part of the business.

It is indirectly good for consumers. It should mean that streaming services will keep prices reasonable. I'm happy to pay for Disney+ based on the volume and quality of their content, but there are always other options for people if either of those qualities change for the worse.

 

[Disney Irish]

Piracy is what it is, and will never go away. A portion of people will pay and a portion of people will steal, and this will always be the case. If a show is popular more people will pay AND more people will steal. It's not good for the companies, but it's just part of the business.

It is indirectly good for consumers. It should mean that streaming services will keep prices reasonable. I'm happy to pay for Disney+ based on the volume and quality of their content, but there are always other options for people if either of those qualities change for the worse.

I disagree, this idea that piracy is something that won't be tackled and that its just part of business that must be accepted is flawed. Its the same sentiment that many had about streamers like Netflix on how they will never crack down on password sharing because "its just a part of business", and yet Netflix is doing just that.

The streaming services will indeed do something to try to crack down on piracy and content sharing in the future, as it eats into their profits. And the pirates will try to get around it. Leading to more changes to crack down on it by streamers. Its a constant cat and mouse game.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I disagree, this idea that piracy is something that won't be tackled and that its just part of business that must be accepted is flawed. Its the same sentiment that many had about streamers like Netflix on how they will never crack down on password sharing because "its just a part of business", and yet Netflix is doing just that.

The streaming services will indeed do something to try to crack down on piracy and content sharing in the future, as it eats into their profits. And the pirates will try to get around it. Leading to more changes to crack down on it by streamers. Its a constant cat and mouse game.

Companies are tackling piracy to the degree they can, for sure. They send warnings if a show is downloaded on someone's IP address and shut down piracy websites.

It's a game of whack a mole though. When a website is shut down, it will pop up again, usually tied to a country with less robust copyright laws and/or enforcement.

So I agree they'll try and minimize it but a world without piracy in the digital age just seems unrealistic.

Another issue is geographic restrictions. Shows are tied to specific regions. When people can't access those shows legally, piracy is often the solution.

 

[Disney Irish]

Companies are tackling piracy to the degree they can, for sure. They send warnings if a show is downloaded on someone's IP address and shut down piracy websites.

It's a game of whack a mole though. When a website is shut down, it will pop up again, usually tied to a country with less robust copyright laws and/or enforcement.

So I agree they'll try and minimize it but a world without piracy in the digital age just seems unrealistic.

Another issue is geographic restrictions. Shows are tied to specific regions. When people can't access those shows legally, piracy is often the solution.

In the age of VPNs that can mask geographic restrictions legally, there is no reason for piracy.

And there are many things that can be done to fight piracy, including IP based restricted access to content. The same tactic Netflix is using for cutting down on password sharing. You'll maybe surprised by it but the streamers, and internet companies in general, know more about you than you know about yourself. So its not going to be long before its going to become harder and harder to pirate content from streamers. Sure there will always be people trying to get stuff for free, but its going to become harder to do it in the long run.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

In the age of VPNs that can mask geographic restrictions legally, there is no reason for piracy.

And there are many things that can be done to fight piracy, including IP based restricted access to content. The same tactic Netflix is using for cutting down on password sharing. You'll maybe surprised by it but the streamers, and internet companies in general, know more about you than you know about yourself. So its not going to be long before its going to become harder and harder to pirate content from streamers. Sure there will always be people trying to get stuff for free, but its going to become harder to do it in the long run.

Using a VPN to access programming not available in one's region is a form of piracy.

 

[Disney Irish]

Using a VPN to access programming not available in one's region is a form of piracy.

But a legal form, and it still requires you to have access to the content, ie a paid subscription. Meaning that streamers are less likely to crack down on that form of piracy compared to sharing platforms where a pirate is getting access to the content for free.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

But a legal form, and it still requires you to have access to the content, ie a paid subscription. Meaning that streamers are less likely to crack down on that form of piracy compared to sharing platforms where a pirate is getting access to the content for free.

Netflix has cracked down on VPN use as well.

 

[Disney Irish]

Netflix has cracked down on VPN use as well.

This is true, so you've proven my point. Also never said they wouldn't be cracking down on VPN usage, just its less compared to other forms of piracy. Which is why I go back to my original point, which is the streamers will be doing a lot of combat piracy long term.

 

[DCBaker]

"Disney+ is bringing another facet of the Imax theater experience to the living room: The streamer plans to add support for enhanced Imax signature sound by DTS for a select batch of Marvel movies and other titles in 2023.

Disney Streaming, in partnership with Imax and Xperi’s DTS audio-tech subsidiary, announced that Imax Enhanced titles on Disney+ will be available with Imax signature sound by DTS on supported hardware devices sometime this year. According to the companies, the new feature is “specially calibrated” to provide immersive sound reproduction on home-theater systems — ensuring that “filmmakers’ creative intent is fully optimized for an Imax-quality presentation.”

It’s the second phase of Disney+’s partnership with Imax. In November 2021, the streaming service launched 13 Marvel movies in Imax’s expanded 1.90:1 aspect ratio to deliver up to 26% more on-screen picture for select sequences.

All Imax Enhanced titles on Disney+ will be available with Imax signature sound by DTS this year, with the exact date yet to be determined. The current list of Disney+’s Imax Enhanced titles includes: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (streaming Feb. 1) and “Black Panther,” “Thor: Love & Thunder,” “Doctor Strange” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Iron Man,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame,” as well as Pixar’s “Lightyear.”

At launch, devices that will support Imax signature sound by DTS on Disney+ include Imax Enhanced-certified TVs from Sony and Hisense and certified AV receivers from Denon, Marantz and JBL.

“This unique collaboration extends our long-standing relationship between Disney and Imax, and we look forward to delivering this new immersive audio experience alongside premium playback quality for current and future titles to our audiences around the world,” said Jerrell Jimerson, Disney Streaming’s EVP of product."

Disney+ to Add Imax-Quality Immersive Sound for Marvel Movies in 2023

Disney+ plans to add support for enhanced Imax signature sound by DTS for select Marvel movies and other titles in 2023.

variety.com

 

[erasure fan1]

Its the same sentiment that many had about streamers like Netflix on how they will never crack down on password sharing because "its just a part of business", and yet Netflix is doing just that.

The streaming services will indeed do something to try to crack down on piracy and content sharing in the future, as it eats into their profits.

It will be interesting to see if Netflix really "cracks down" on sharing. Or are they just blowing smoke? I know A LOT of people who are doing it. I still personally think, it could hurt more than help. There's no great way of cracking down without ing everyone off. How do you define same household? Most of my Netflix is used off my network so I'd get charged another 3$? It's already barely worth the price so at that point I'll just cancel.

 

[Disney Irish]

It will be interesting to see if Netflix really "cracks down" on sharing. Or are they just blowing smoke? I know A LOT of people who are doing it. I still personally think, it could hurt more than help. There's no great way of cracking down without ing everyone off. How do you define same household? Most of my Netflix is used off my network so I'd get charged another 3$? It's already barely worth the price so at that point I'll just cancel.

Supposedly they will define same household based on ISP IP. If using from another ISP IP they will ask if you want to add its as another household for an additional cost, if not you'll get access for 2 weeks before that ISP IP is blocked.

The blocking IPs to prevent VPNs access has caught up some actual customers IPs. Netflix didn't seem to really care, so yeah they don't appear to care about upsetting some customers.

 

[tcool123]

Supposedly they will define same household based on ISP IP. If using from another ISP IP they will ask if you want to add its as another household for an additional cost, if not you'll get access for 2 weeks before that ISP IP is blocked.

The blocking IPs to prevent VPNs access has caught up some actual customers IPs. Netflix didn't seem to really care, so yeah they don't appear to care about upsetting some customers.

Wonder how this will work for those whose households who has family member in university staying by there. Will they suddenly be forced out of their families Netflix?

 

[Disney Irish]

Wonder how this will work for those whose households who has family member in university staying by there. Will they suddenly be forced out of their families Netflix?

Yes, and Netflix has a process for this by allowing to create a new subscription from an existing profile.