Disney Plus Launches Plan Discounts in U.K., Europe Ahead of March Debut
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Disney, looking to lock in Disney Plus customers in the U.K. and European markets prior to its official launch next month, is offering 14%-17% discounts on the streaming service — if users sign up for a one-year plan.
Leading up to the March 24 debut of Disney Plus in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, the Mouse House is offering annual plans for £49.99 in the U.K. (versus £59.99 regularly) and £59.99 (vs. €69.99) for an annual subscription. The discounts are available until March 23. Regular monthly pricing of Disney Plus in those areas is £5.99 and €6.99 per month.
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Disney embraced a similar one-year discount strategy for the November 2019 release in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. It reported 28.6 million Disney Plus subs as of Feb. 3.
The company has confirmed that Disney Plus originals like Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian,” the Star Wars-set live action series that was the breakout hit of the initial batch, will be available in international territories. However, it’s unclear if subscribers will get binge-able access to all eight of “The Mandalorian” Season 1 episodes at launch or if they will have a staggered release. Those will “start to roll out from March 24th,” per a post on the company’s U.K. Twitter account.
However, “The Simpsons” — all past seasons of which are available in the U.S. and other countries after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox businesses — is missing from Disney Plus’s programming promos for the U.K., leading potential British subscribers to wonder whether it will be available on the service. In the U.K., “The Simpsons” airs on Sky One and Channel 4. (Disney has not said whether “The Simpsons” will be available in the U.K.)
In the U.K. and Ireland, Disney Plus will replace DisneyLife, the £4.99-per-month streaming service that included movies, live TV, music and books, first launched in late 2015. DisneyLife customers will need to resubscribe to Disney Plus.
Disney has announced that Disney Plus will roll out in additional Western Europe markets in the summer of 2020, including Belgium, the Nordics and Portugal.
Meanwhile, Disney Plus also is coming to India next month via Hotstar, which Disney acquired from Fox. The company expects to launch two tiers of Disney Plus service in India (a premium version that includes originals, and one with library titles) on March 29; pricing hasn’t been announced.
Disney Plus is also the exclusive streaming home for films released by Walt Disney Studios in 2019 and beyond, including “Captain Marvel,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Toy Story 4,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen 2” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The service has movies and TV shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and other brands. Original content includes “The Mandalorian,” “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “The World According to Jeff Goldblum,” and the live-action film “Lady and the Tramp.”
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