Disney has confirmed plans to launch its own direct-to-consumer streaming services in the coming year. A sports streaming app called ESPN Plus will cost USD 4.99 a month and launch in the spring, while a Netflix-like service for Disney movies is slated to arrive in late 2019, CEO Bob Iger said in a conference call on quarterly results.
According to a report from The Verge, Iger said ESPN Plus will be an add-on included within the redesigned ESPN app, and not a standalone service with its own mobile and smart TV software. Users who pay the monthly subscription fee will gain access to thousands of live sporting events not available on current channels, Iger said.
The service is designed to help ESPN forestall the negative effects of subscriber drop-off, as more and more viewers choose over-the-top streaming services over traditional sports and cable packages. The streaming service will not include access to live ESPN channels, as users are still expected to subscribe to traditional pay-TV.
Disney's Netflix competitor, a hub expected next year that will stream movies and other programming, will have "not just one but a few Star Wars series," Iger said during the call, according to Cnet. "The level of talent will be rather significant," he added. Disney announced separately that it's hired the creators of TV series 'Game of Thrones' to make a new series of Star Wars films.
