Disney to go after Netflix with $12.99 bundle

Disney is still three months away from launching its Disney+ subscription video service, but the entertainment giant is already signaling that it intends to take on Netflix in the streaming TV market.

The company said as much last week in its quarterly earnings call, during which it put out more details about Disney+, which goes live Nov. 12. Among the disclosures was that Disney+ will cost $6.99 a month, or $70 for an annual subscription.

But the biggest sign of Disney’s willingness to encroach on Netflix’s territory was the company saying it will offer a streaming subscription bundle of Disney+, Hulu with commercials, and ESPN+ for just $12.99 a month. To put that pricing in perspective, Hulu with ads currently costs $5.99 a month and a subscription to ESPN+ goes for $4.99 a month. Someone who already has both of those services can, in effect, add Disney+ for about $2 a month.

Disney+ already is being seen as possibly the biggest challenge to Netflix and its 60 million U.S. subscribers.

"U.S. consumers have shown a reluctance to add to their (average of) 3 SVOD (steaming video on demand services),” said Laura Martin, media analyst with Needham & Co., in a research note. “This implies that Disney’s projected 20 million to 30 million U.S. subscribers by 2024 will mostly come from Netflix.”

Martin added that because of Disney’s price levels and its catalog of content, she believes that over time, “Disney will win, and Netflix (will) lose the U.S. SVOD battle.”

When Disney+ launches in November, it will come out of the gate with 500 movies and 7,500 TV show episodes. Netflix currently has content deals with the entertainment giant that allow it to carry such Disneyowned titles as Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Those deals are set to expire over the next two years.