The war for the most successful streaming platform has begun, and readying themselves for battle armed with a handful of promising originals are two media giants: Disney and Apple. AppleTV+ is set to launch on the 1st November, with Disney+ following on the 12th November in the US, Canada and the Netherlands, with Australia and New Zealand obtaining access a week later, on the 19th November. The UK still does not have an official release date for Disney+ and, at this rate, we could be waiting until 2020 for the service. The streaming market is a competitive one, with Netflix currently boasting 152 million subscribers around the world and services such as Hulu home to popular series such as 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Yet Apple and Disney, already multi-billion dollar businesses in their own right, are willing to invest astronomical sums to best both of these well-established businesses. Who will emerge as victor in this battle of creators?
Apple has set up a strong set of allies, calling on several big names in Hollywood to bolster their bid for success. CEO Tim Cook has made deals with creators such as Oprah Winfrey and director Alfonso Cuarón, though Apple's most well-publicised collaboration is 'The Morning Show', a news-based drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon will also co-produce, which bodes well for Apple considering the success of her other projects such as HBO's 'Big Little Lies'. Apple is willing to invest in this dynamic duo, with the 'The Morning Show' reportedly costing $15 million an episode which, at its current 2 seasons of 20 episodes, adds up to an astounding figure of $300 million. Although, it must be said that such a high cost-per-episode is partially down to the salaries negotiated by both Aniston and Witherspoon, with both actresses set to earn $2 million per episode. Such a sum perhaps reveals why Aniston finally agreed to return to the small screen.
AppleTV+ is wielding its $1 trillion wealth as a weapon in this streaming war, pushing down the costs of their subscription packages to entice viewers away from rivals such as Disney+ and Netflix. At only $5 per month, or free for a year alongside a purchase of an iPhone, iPad, Apple Mac or Apple TV, AppleTV+ may be spending big money on its original series, but it comes in as the cheapest streaming service of them all, ahead of the $7 per month package of Disney+ and the $13 per month package of Netflix. AppleTV+ seems confident in its success, with the California-based company predicting 100 million viewers by 2023 compared to the tentative 60-90 million viewers that Disney+ hopes for.
However, it cannot be denied that Disney+ is a worthy opponent to the technology titan. Back in 2016, CEO Bob Iger invested $1 billion in a streaming technology business since renamed Disney Streaming Services and, two years later, launched a vicious blow at Netflix by removing its titles from the streaming service. Though Disney+ will not launch until the 12th November, company directors have already laid out a budget of $1 million for the creation of original content in 2020. Jon Favreau's take on the Star Wars universe, 'The Mandalorian', starring Pedro Pascal as an intergalactic bounty hunter, comes in at the same budget per-episode as Apple's 'The Morning Show', though other original series that Disney intends to launch such as Marvel's 'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier' will allegedly cost $25 million per episode. Like Apple, Disney is clearly trusting that their investments will pay off in the race to dominate the streaming industry.
Apple originals versus Disney classics
Whereas Apple will have to rely on originals for its success, Disney+ already has a catalogue of beloved classics lined up to drop in November. As well as the entire Disney catalogue, from classics such as 'Cinderella' to modern hits such as 'Frozen', Disney will also give its subscribers the chance to travel to a galaxy far, far away with the entire 'Star Wars' saga, or to assemble some avengers with a list of films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The company also plans to launch originals such as 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' to support the 500 Disney titles already under their belt.
However, AppleTV+ has a promising line-up of originals that they hope to use to entice fans away from these established franchises. In addition to 'The Morning Show', the company has bought the rights to acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller 'Servant' and 'Diary of a Female President', produced by and starring Gina Rodriguez of 'Jane the Virgin' fame.
It's clear that both Disney and Apple are willing to invest high sums in creations that they believe will pay off in their bid to conquer the vast world of streamable content and save them from the bleak fate of more traditional cable packages. Now all that remains to be seen is who will be victorious when these new platforms hit devices next month. Let the battle commence.
