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Disney Life streaming app released in the UK |
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#1 |
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Disney Life streaming app released in the UK
I wasn't sure where best to place this thread as it obviously relates to entertainment services but has wider implications for SKY and indeed the debate on the broadcasting thread concerning Sky's announcement where they will be more selective on sports strategy.
Disney have just launched the Disney Life app on the Amazon Fire TV in the UK which will give access to popular Disney shows and movies. With Netflix and Amazon gaining popularity and more people signing up to Sky's Now TV are we seeing a mirror image of what has happened in the US with studios such as Disney, HBO, Fox, CBS prepared to offer stand alone streaming options alonside cable to arrest the large loss of cable subscribers? In a number of post I have made over the last year, generally on the broadcasting thread, I have raised the issue where SKY may be challenged if studios such as HBO follow the path they have chosen in the US and offer a stand alone service either on it's own or alongside Sky and ultimately people may cherry pick stand alone servics such as Netflix, Amazon, Now TV instead of the entry bundles on satellite. They may dip in and out binge watching a few seasons before moving on to another service. Generally people have said that it will not happen and that HBO and studios are unlikely to drop SKY but Disney now have done exactly that and launched a service in the UK for just £4.99 a month. HBO currently receive just £55 million a year from Sky on a five year contract, that isn't exactly a lot of money but HBO didn't have any options after BT didn't consider bidding. That of course may change as since then BT have acquirred AMC, perhaps they may bid for HBO next time round, either way SKY are going to have to part with much more to retain HBO shows on their premium Sky Atlantic channel. There has also been strong rumours that Disney may consider a bid for Netflix next year as they favour Reed Hastings becoming their next CEO. That would make Disney/Netflix the largest streaming service in the world and make it a hugely popular optionas a stand alone service worldwide. |
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#2 |
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DisneyLife hasn't "just" launched, it's been available for just over a year now. I got my daughters a six-month subscription last Christmas, I remember speaking to a very friendly phone operative about a balls-up I made with the account creation on Christmas Day!
The price reduction is a new thing though, up until recently it was £9.99 a month, which is pricey for a lot of people, despite there being a lot of content available. I never bothered renewing my daughters subscription after the 6-month period as they just weren't getting money's worth from it. £4.99 a month is a different proposition though... Looks like the service is available on a few more devices now too, which is always good news. |
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#3 |
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Quote:
DisneyLife hasn't "just" launched, it's been available for just over a year now. I got my daughters a six-month subscription last Christmas, I remember speaking to a very friendly phone operative about a balls-up I made with the account creation on Christmas Day!
The price reduction is a new thing though, up until recently it was £9.99 a month, which is pricey for a lot of people, despite there being a lot of content available. I never bothered renewing my daughters subscription after the 6-month period as they just weren't getting money's worth from it. £4.99 a month is a different proposition though... Looks like the service is available on a few more devices now too, which is always good news. I may be wrong I'd have to ask my neice but I thought Disney had reduced it to £7.99 but there are so many offers it is hard to keep track. |
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#4 |
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I had a 3 month free trial of this with my Chromecast i couldn't justify £9.99p/m after my trial but the new price of £4.99 is certainly great value.
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#5 |
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Quote:
I had a 3 month free trial of this with my Chromecast i couldn't justify £9.99p/m after my trial but the new price of £4.99 is certainly great value.
When I first signed up to Netflix it was so cheap I just didn't bother to cancel, had it been £8.99 I might do as I do now and opt in and out although I can't seem to get through the stuff I'm watching on it at the moment, things such as The Crown which I thought may not be my cup of tea has been absolutely absorbing. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: May 2012
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Did a search for the app on my Fire Stick earlier but nothing came up. Is it just the Fire TV Box it's currently available for?
Think Disney need to increase availability on platforms such as Roku and games consoles if Life is to take off properly. Halving the monthly subscription price is a step in the right direction, but the whole service still feels a little under-promoted and difficult to obtain when compared to streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. |
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#7 |
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Quote:
Did a search for the app on my Fire Stick earlier but nothing came up. Is it just the Fire TV Box it's currently available for?
Think Disney need to increase availability on platforms such as Roku and games consoles if Life is to take off properly. Halving the monthly subscription price is a step in the right direction, but the whole service still feels a little under-promoted and difficult to obtain when compared to streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. http://www.aftvnews.com/disney-bring...o-uk-fire-tvs/ I find it incredulous that media companies including Amazon act this way as surely the objective is to encourage as many people as possible to subscribe to streaming services. Netflix is available on just about everything, no need to even think about buying a new stick/box. |
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#8 |
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Would you consider just having it all the time beacuse it is good value and only £4.99 and not even think about cancelling? I only ask because I think pitching it at this price makes you less inclined to cancel. I just think the family bundle although it offers you a large selection is quite expensive in comparison to picking up Disney if you have young family and adding Now TV for the Sky Atlantic shows especially as there is a constant stream pardon the pun of Now TV offers. I think you have to be a dedicated football/sports fan to really end up subscribing to the satellite option.
When I first signed up to Netflix it was so cheap I just didn't bother to cancel, had it been £8.99 I might do as I do now and opt in and out although I can't seem to get through the stuff I'm watching on it at the moment, things such as The Crown which I thought may not be my cup of tea has been absolutely absorbing. |
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#9 |
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Yes only on the Fire TV see post:
http://www.aftvnews.com/disney-bring...o-uk-fire-tvs/ I find it incredulous that media companies including Amazon act this way as surely the objective is to encourage as many people as possible to subscribe to streaming services. Netflix is available on just about everything, no need to even think about buying a new stick/box. |
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#10 |
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Quote:
Yes only on the Fire TV see post:
http://www.aftvnews.com/disney-bring...o-uk-fire-tvs/ I find it incredulous that media companies including Amazon act this way as surely the objective is to encourage as many people as possible to subscribe to streaming services. Netflix is available on just about everything, no need to even think about buying a new stick/box. |
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#11 |
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#12 |
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Its also available on Apple tv boxes.
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#13 |
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Quote:
I had a 3 month free trial of this with my Chromecast i couldn't justify £9.99p/m after my trial but the new price of £4.99 is certainly great value.
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#14 |
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Quote:
Generally people have said that it will not happen and that HBO and studios are unlikely to drop SKY but Disney now have done exactly that and launched a service in the UK for just £4.99 a month.
Seems you are still wrong in your opinion! |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Feb 2015
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I have Fire TV and it is not available and posters underneath confirm that so the article is wrong.
I think the UK is following the path of the US where major cable companies and studios have been forced to react to Netflix and released stand alone or slimmed down services. There are now far more options to cherry pick over having complete packages. For many families I think Disney Life is one of those services that will be a permanent fixture and perhaps HBO, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu will be more popular than most others that people can eirther have permanently or opt in and out of. I much prefer this personally because although I have Netflix almost all year round, I opt in and out of Amazon and Now TV just to catch a few series. It is a big saving on what I was paying Sky over 17 years. |
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#16 |
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Quote:
There has been a problem with the recent update roll out for the FIRE TV which has been halted but no doubt will be fixed and rolled out soon. This has always been the case with Amazon Fire where aps disappear and come back. However as per my original post it is more the case of Disney Life lanching a dedicated app and now only £4.99 which will probably mean more people will just subscribe without thinking too much about it as was the case when £9.99.
I think the UK is following the path of the US where major cable companies and studios have been forced to react to Netflix and released stand alone or slimmed down services. There are now far more options to cherry pick over having complete packages. For many families I think Disney Life is one of those services that will be a permanent fixture and perhaps HBO, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu will be more popular than most others that people can eirther have permanently or opt in and out of. I much prefer this personally because although I have Netflix almost all year round, I opt in and out of Amazon and Now TV just to catch a few series. It is a big saving on what I was paying Sky over 17 years. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Feb 2015
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Disney have not dropped Sky!?!
Seems you are still wrong in your opinion! Yes you are correct I have mentioned several times that it makes sense for studios such as HBO to launch stand alone services in the UK but I also put that in context that in the US studios and the major cable networks were complacent and at first didn't take the threat of Netflix seriously. Why is it that almost every studio has released a stand alone service? Why are we seeing slimmed down services from Comcast, Dish and Direct TV? Regarding HBO those comments were made in the context of revenue and that HBO only received £275 million over 5 years from SKY and that was a paltry sum compared to what they could achieve either through a stand alone streaming service, a service running alongside SKY or indeed renewing the contract at a much higher price. I also pointed out in answer to other replies that I did not forsee it happening for at least three yearsand they were not in a position to launch a stand alone service when signing the present deal because they did not have the infrastructure and subscription management in place. They now have that in place so it could happen here in the UK. I am quite happy to debate or even be corrected on things I post but when pointing things out it has to be put into context of the whole post not just an isolated sentence. |
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#18 |
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I did not say Disney had dropped SKY I said that the UK was following the path of the US with adopting stand alone streaming services.
Out of context ... take more care when you write your verbose posts you frequently trip over your yourself... What you wrote was wrong... Disney have not dropped Sky!!! |
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#19 |
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Re-edited original post should not have stated disney had dropped SKY. Sorry. Quote:
I wasn't sure where best to place this thread as it obviously relates to entertainment services but has wider implications for SKY and indeed the debate on the broadcasting thread concerning Sky's announcement where they will be more selective on sports strategy.
Disney have just launched the Disney Life app on the Amazon Fire TV in the UK which will give access to popular Disney shows and movies. With Netflix and Amazon gaining popularity and more people signing up to Sky's Now TV are we seeing a mirror image of what has happened in the US with studios such as Disney, HBO, Fox, CBS prepared to offer stand alone streaming options alonside cable to arrest the large loss of cable subscribers? In a number of posts I have made over the last year, generally on the broadcasting thread, I have raised the issue where SKY may be challenged if studios such as HBO follow the path they have chosen in the US and offer a stand alone service either on it's own or alongside Sky and ultimately people may cherry pick stand alone services such as Netflix, Amazon, Now TV instead of the entry bundles on satellite. They may dip in and out binge watching a few seasons before moving on to another service. Generally people have said that it will not happen and that HBO and studios are unlikely to drop SKY but Disney now have launched an app through the Amazon Fire TV (currently being updated) for just £4.99 a month previously £9.99 Does £4.99 especially for those with families now present a price people will just add without thinking too much? HBO currently receive just £55 million a year from Sky on a five year contract, that isn't exactly a lot of money but HBO didn't have any options after BT didn't consider bidding. That of course may change as since then BT have acquirred AMC, perhaps they may bid for HBO next time round, either way SKY are going to have to part with much more to retain HBO shows on their premium Sky Atlantic channel. There has also been strong rumours that Disney may consider a bid for Netflix next year as they favour Reed Hastings becoming their next CEO. That would make Disney/Netflix the largest streaming service in the world and make it a hugely popular optionas a stand alone service worldwide. |
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#20 |
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It is exactly what you wrote!
Out of context ... take more care when you write your verbose posts you frequently trip over your yourself... What you wrote was wrong... Disney have not dropped Sky!!! I'm only pointing out that the UK could follow suit and the maths seem to make that a strong possibility. Feel free to debate whether I am right or wrong but I do think more people will cherry pick services including having NOW TV instead of the satellite platform especially if SKY get their act together and deliver a NOW TV services that matches Amazon, Netflix for performance ie 1080p. |
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