Streaming Gets Stuffed This Month
By the time the month of November finishes up, two new streaming platforms will be vying for subscriptions and they come from two of the biggest brands in the world: Apple and Disney. Announced back in March and debuting on November 1st, Apple TV+ boasts the backing of public figures like Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. Those of you with an Apple Music student plan will automatically receive a subscription to the new service at no extra cost (my Spotify Premium-devoted self is very tempted to dip my toe in that pool) with a subscription solely to the platform costing the same at $4.99. While 35 shows/documentaries are already listed as being ordered, as well as nine movies and many other shows in development, at this point the only show that really is calling my name is The Morning Show. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon, it is based off of the behind the scenes happenings of real life morning shows including Today and Good Morning America. This includes Steve Carell’s character facing sexual misconduct allegations, an element that continues to rock both morning television as well as the rest of the industry. What’s more unexpected: Apple producing its own shows or Reese Witherspoon playing a character named Bradley? I’m serious. Her character’s name is Bradley.
On a lighter note, DISNEY. Well, kinda. Let’s just keep it light though. While the entertainment giant is a majority owner of Hulu, there are no plans of discontinuing the popular platform anytime soon. Instead, its new platform, Disney+, will be focused on family-friendly entertainment. Upon launch, 7,000 television episodes and 500 films will be made available with conflicting deals involving popular titles from Marvel and the Star Wars franchise preventing all titles from being accessible at first. Original movies will be released as well, beginning with a live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp which will be exclusive to Disney +. Yeah… we’ve had enough. I’d like to say the same about the never-ending reboot trend, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly curious about the upcoming Lizzie McGuire reboot. The McGuire family is in tact, but they need to make sure Lizzie’s best friends, Miranda and Gordo, in on this. Also, her little brother Matt’s act was cute as a kid. But if they try to present the same character, things could get creepy… his mustache on their “back to set” photo doesn’t help either. The service will start out at $6.99 per month, or $69.99 for a full year’s subscription if you pay ahead. There are currently no plans for a student plan, because both you and Disney know well enough that you will cough up those extra two dollars over Apple TV+ no problem.
Disney especially appears poised to take over the streaming world with its new service on top of Hulu, where Netflix is facing a threat it has never really had to for nearly a decade. None will be more pleased than Blockbuster. Frankly, though, the late fees should be directed to its competitors. It’s about time they got their heads in the game. DON’T stream High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (:The Atrocity: The Money Grab: The I Can Go On) on November 12th.
