Image: FILE PHOTO: A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File photo
LOS ANGELES/BENGALURU (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co is set to launch its family-friendly streaming service, Disney+, later this year with a slate of new and classic TV shows and movies, as the company founded on theme parks and big-screen movies builds a digital entertainment business.
The ad-free service will include movies and TV series from Disney and will feature programming from the Marvel superhero universe, the “Star Wars” galaxy, “Toy Story” creator Pixar animation and the National Geographic channel.
The company on Tuesday reported a steeper earnings decline than Wall Street expected as it poured money into the streaming media business, which outweighed gains from the worldwide success of “Avengers: Endgame”.
Below are a some key facts on Disney+ –
HOW MUCH WOULD THE SUBSCRIPTION COST?
$7 a month or $70 a year
WHEN IS THE SERVICE EXPECTED TO DEBUT?
The company is set to roll out its service on Nov. 12
WHAT IS THE NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBER EXPECTED?
Disney expects to attract between 60 million and 90 million subscribers by the end of fiscal 2024
WHEN IS THE SERVICE EXPECTED TO TURN A PROFIT?
It expects to achieve profitability in fiscal year 2024
HOW MUCH WILL COMPANY SPEND ON ORIGINAL CONTENT FOR DISNEY+?
The media and entertainment company plans to spend a little over $1 billion to finance original programming in fiscal 2020 and about $2 billion by 2024.
HOW MUCH DOES DISNEY EXPECT TO LOSE IN LICENSING REVENUE?
Prior to its plans of launching Disney+, Disney was supplying content such as “Black Panther” and “Beauty and the Beast” to Netflix, but that arrangement ended this year. Disney estimated it is foregoing $150 million in licensing revenue this fiscal year by saving programming for its own platforms.
When the service debuts on Nov. 12, programming available from Disney’s libraries will include:
* Classic Disney animated movies such as “101 Dalmations” and “Bambi”
* The entire Pixar catalog including “A Bug’s Life” and “Cars”
* “Captain Marvel” and three other Marvel films
* The first and second “Star Wars” trilogies
* More than 5,000 episodes of Disney Channel shows such as “Hannah Montana”
Disney will also create original programming exclusively for the service. According to the company, that will include:
STAR WARS
A new season of animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
A live-action “Star Wars” series called “The Mandalorian,” developed by Jon Favreau
A TV series starring Diego Luna that is a prequel to the movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
MARVEL
A series focused on the villain Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston
A series starring Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch
ANIMATION
“Monsters at Work,” a series inspired by Pixar hit “Monsters Inc.” Billy Crystal and John Goodman will return as the voices of Mike and Sulley.
MOVIES
Remakes of Disney classics such as “Lady and the Tramp” and “Sword in the Stone”
“Noelle,” a Christmas fantasy adventure starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader
“Togo,” starring Willem Dafoe in a story about a famous sled dog
TELEVISION
A new “High School Musical” series
“Diary of a Female President,” a comedy series about a 12-year-old Cuban-American girl on a journey to become president of the United States
NON-FICTION
“Marvel’s 616,” a documentary series exploring the intersection between Marvel stories and characters and the real world
“Be Our Chef,” a food competition show in which families compete and the winner’s dish will be served at Walt Disney World
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles and Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Leslie Adler)
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