Streaming wars: Can Disney+ Star bring down Netflix and Amazon?
THE binge-watch wars have kicked up a gear with the unveiling of the new Disney+ Star channel – which is basically Disney but for grown-ups.
Since its Irish roll-out last year, Disney+ had catered almost exclusively to children and geeks, with its slate of House of Mouse classics, cartoons and Marvel and Star Wars content. Now it is chasing the lucrative grown-up audience.
However, with Netflix recently announcing it was “updating” – aka raising – prices for its estimated 550,000 Irish subscribers, is there enough on Disney+ to warrant a second streaming subscription? What about ditching Netflix altogether? And where does Amazon Prime Video fit in?
Buckle up for our ultimate guide to the Big Three players in streaming.
Disney Plus
What can I watch?
Star is a major departure for Disney. It arrives with 75 series and 280 films. There are also four “Star Originals” – new shows created for Disney.
But don’t get too excited. At least one of these bespoke offerings is a sure-fire dud – Big Sky. Sadly, it’s hokier than a Hart to Hart box-set.
Other original shows include teen romance Love, Victor,
mad-cap animation Solar Opposites from the creators of Rick and Morty, and “dark superhero” saga Helstrom
– and even that isn’t all that “original” as it previously streamed in the US on Hulu.
The Star roster also features older shows such as Donald Glover’s surrealist comedy Atlanta, alongside
The X-Files, Grey’s Anatomy
and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Where Disney continues to soar is in its geek-friendly output, like Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian – which has given the world Baby Yoda and restored faith in the ailing franchise.
WandaVision, part of the Marvel cinematic universe, is one of the best things on TV right now. Plus, kids will hoover up decades of Disney and Pixar classics.
How much?
€8.99 per month or €89.99 for an annual subscription. Who’s it for?
Star will broaden the appeal of Disney+, but the core market remains kids and Star Wars or Marvel fans.
Hidden gems: OJ: Made In America is a sprawling documentary on Simpson’s rise and fall and America’s legacy of racial injustice.
Netflix
What can I watch?
With an average of 40 new shows released each month through 2020, quality control is obviously not always a priority and the worst Netflix shows are very, very bad.
But the best rate as mustsees. Last year, many of us held on to our sanity by bingeing on Tiger King, Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, The Queen’s Gambit, The Crown season four,
Bridgerton and so forth.
Plus, there is a huge selection of older shows, including gritty Marvel adaptations of
Daredevil, Jessica Jones and
Luke Cage. In documentaries, Netflix continues to flex its muscles too – a new film about Pelé, for instance, takes us behind the scenes of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup campaign.
It’s unlikely you are going run out of things to watch. How much?
Price plans run from €7.99 to €17.99 a month. You’ll have to choose a higher tier to watch in high-def and multiple screens at once, whereas these are standard with Disney+.
Who’s it for?
Netflix is for everyone – provided you’re relaxed about the occasionally wonky quality.
Hidden gems: The Studio Ghibli animations from Japan are as good as anything Disney has ever put out.
Amazon Prime Video
What can I watch?
Membership of Amazon’s Prime free-shipping service includes access to the Prime Video channel. It’s an impressive bonus, with a slate of great original shows such as John Carney’s Modern Love
and top genre offerings including The Boys and The Expanse.
Adaptations of fantasy sagas Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time are incoming too.
Prime also features a great selection of older programming including Hugh Laurie spy caper The Night Manager,
Reds-under-the-bed soap The Americans and wry Phoebe Waller-Bridge comedy Fleabag. It’s also getting into sports, and airs live tennis and NFL for subscribers.
How much?
Amazon has yet to launch a dedicated Irish site, so subscribers must go through Amazon.co.uk, where mostly Prime membership costs €9.27 (€92 for the year if paying-up front). A standalone Prime Video subscription costs €6.89 per month.
Who’s it for?
Amazon suffers from a wobbly interface and a patchy recommendations system. That said, it has a deep bench of content and an impressive range of children’s programming.
Hidden gems: Tales from the Loop is a haunting and meditative sci-fi series adapted from the art of Simon Stalenhag. It’s wonderful “slow TV” and an escape capsule from the stresses of the lockdown.