Disney Plus just got a brilliant new feature called Streams, but it’s already disappointed me in two big ways
Listen up everyone, because your Disney Plus account just got a brand new upgrade – that is, if you meet two specific criteria.
Yesterday (September 30), Disney officially announced that Streams, a brand new feature that adds seasonal live channel functionality to one of the world’s top streaming services, had been rolled out to its user base. According to one Disney press releaseStreams will enhance the platform’s live feed offering with four additional live feeds featuring “carefully curated, continuous programming” that will appeal to every type of House of Mouse fan.
Three of the newly revealed Streams – Hits and heroes, Throw backAnd Real life – are expected to form the mainstay of the service provision. Meanwhile, the fourth and final Streams option periodically delivers seasonal content to users. The first of these seasonally themed curated live feeds is called Helloflowand it features a plethora of spooky and horror-driven offerings from Disney’s extensive back catalogue, in time for – surprise surprise – Halloween.
As for the others: Hit & Heroes is a compilation of action-packed stories spanning the breadth of Disney franchises, including Marvel, Star Wars and Walt Disney Pictures. Throw backmeanwhile, is a Streams live channel that will scratch your nostalgic itch for content from yesteryear. Finally, Real life will produce a compelling series of biopics, true stories and documentaries produced by the entertainment titan.
This quartet joins the first two streams – ABC News and Disney Plus Playtime – which launched on the platform in early September. According to Disney, this Streams pair has already resulted in an increase in viewership on its primary streaming service, with more than 10 million hours streamed across ABC News and Disney Plus Playtime. So it’s clear that Disney is counting on its new Streams additions to perform just as well, if not better, in bringing some of the best Disney Plus movies and best Disney Plus shows to subscribers 24/7.
New ways to stream – but only for specific subscribers
At first glance, Disney Plus’ Streams feature sounds fantastic. There’s so much content on the platform these days that it’s very easy for new users to be struck by choice paralysis when they load it up for the first time. So streams seem like a great way to introduce newcomers to the platform’s abundant content without overwhelming them.
At least that would be the case if Streams were not only available worldwide, but also to everyone, regardless of which subscription level you are signed up for.
You see, Streams only launched in the US, so UK and Australian users don’t have access to this shiny new feature yet. When I contacted Disney to find out when Streams would be rolling out in these countries and beyond, I was simply told that “[Streams] will only be available in the US at launch”. It sounds like those of us on British and Australian shores, plus every non-US territory, have been waiting a long time for its arrival.
Even if it eventually rolls out globally, there’s a very real chance you still won’t be able to access it. As Disney Press notes, those who signed up for the Premium tier of Disney Plus are the only people who can currently use it. So if you are a Standard With Ads or Standard subscriber, you will no longer be able to use this feature in the near future.
From a business perspective, I understand why Streams is exclusive to the Premium level. Disney wants to entice new and returning customers to sign up for the most expensive tier (NB: how much each subscription costs can be found in our Disney Plus price guide), so it’s wise to lock it behind this option.
Still, it’s a shame that users are still asked to cough up more money per month to get the most out of their subscription. And with another Disney Plus price increase taking effect on October 17 for those in the US, you and I may be forced to fork over even more hard-earned cash to gain access to the Streams feature. I don’t know about you, but I’m perfectly content paying less for Disney Plus and going without Streams until it’s more readily available.
