Disney+ has waded into the UK streaming market with an introductory offer of £4.17-per-month as it tries to out-muscle competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Brits will be able to enjoy Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar films – as well as original series – on Disney+ at a discounted £49.99-a-year ahead of its March 24 launch.
The entertainment giant hopes to cut out competitors including Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Britbox by slashing its subscription fee this February.
Would-be customers have this slim window of opportunity to seize the discount deal before the expected annual fee of £59.99-per-year is restored.
Disney’s big announcement has put down a marker for competitors like Netflix, which has 9.1million UK subscribers, and Amazon Prime, with 6.4million customers.
Disney+ subscribers will be treated to over 25 original series, including the highly-publicised Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian (pictured)
UK subscribers will have instant access to 25 Disney+ Original series, including the highly-publicised Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian.
Other Disney+ Original series include High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The World According To Jeff Goldblum, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Elsewhere, new feature films exclusive to Disney+ include Togo, which stars Willem Dafoe, Stargirl, and the Lady and the Tramp remake.
And superhero-movie lovers will be treated to three new live-action series from Marvel Studios, all premiering on Disney+ – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and fan-favourite Tom Hiddleston reprising the role Loki.
Amazon Prime offers its 6.4million fans The Grand Tour (pictured) and The Man In The High Castle for £7.99-per-month after a free 30-day trial period
Netflix, whose 9.1million streamers watch popular series The Crown (pictured) and Stranger Things, is priced from £5.99-per-month to £11.99-a-month for 4K+HDR
Apple TV, which has made a splash with comedy The Morning Show (pictured, starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell), is priced second-cheapest at £4.99-a-month
Disney+ was released in the US and Canada last November, and reportedly announced that more than 10million subscribers had signed up on its first day.
The term Disney+ was apparently the top trending Google search of 2019.
Last month, the company announced that Disney+ had over 26million subscribers by the end of 2019, and more than 28million by the end of February 2020.
Netflix, whose 9.1million streamers watch popular series The Crown and Stranger Things, is priced from £5.99-per-month to £11.99-a-month for 4K+HDR.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime offers its 6.4million fans The Grand Tour and The Man In The High Castle for £7.99-per-month after a free 30-day trial period.
November 2019 entry BritBox, the BBC-ITV collaboration whose customers can watch Wolf Hall, Extras, and Whitechapel, is available at £5.99-a-month.
And international hit Apple TV, which has made a splash with comedy The Morning Show, is priced second-cheapest at £4.99-a-month.
Disney+ will launch in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland on March 24. Additional Western Europe markets, including Belgium, the Nordics, and Portugal, will follow in summer 2020.
UK streaming: What content Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others offer, and how much you have to pay to watch them
Disney’s big announcement is sure to shock Netflix, which has 9.1million UK subscribers, and Amazon Prime, with 6.4million customers (file photo)
Ranked from most expensive to cheapest, UK streaming services offer loyal customers a range of content:
Amazon Prime (£7.99-per-month):
- The Grand Tour (motor enthusiasts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May travel the world and get up to all sorts);
- The Man In The High Castle (a post-World War II dystopia);
- Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (a CIA analyst combats terrorism)
Netflix (£5.99-per-month):
- The Crown (the series that explores life in Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, as Britain finds its place in the post-1945);
- Stranger Things (in 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits);
- You (a New York bookstore manager and serial killer develops a a disturbing and toxic obsession with women)
BritBox (£5.99-per-month):
- Wolf Hall (a historical drama based on the life and loves of Henry VIII);
- Extras (a down-on-his-luck actor struggles to make the big time);
- Whitechapel (detectives deal with copycat historical murders)
Apple TV (£4.99-per-month):
- The Morning Show (a newsroom satire starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell set in the #MeToo era);
- For All Mankind (an alternative history of a prolonged Space Race);
- Truth Be Told (a true crime podcaster investigates a convicted killer, who continues to claim innocence years after the incident)