Star Wars, Marvel & ESPN: How Disney plans to take on Netflix in streaming

Disney is matching Netflix's standard plan and marketing the service $3 below its rival's premium version, which lets subscribers and their family members watch on as many as four devices at once.

Business Standard : Walt Disney Co. is pricing a new bundle of streaming services at a surprisingly low $12.99 a month, challenging Netflix Inc. with a package that includes family programming, live sports and a deep library of television shows.

The entertainment giant announced the combined pricing for Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu on a conference call Tuesday with investors. It will debut as part of the November launch of the Disney+ service and represents a near 30% discount to their individual prices.

Disney is matching Netflix’s standard plan and marketing the service $3 below its rival’s premium version, which lets subscribers and their family members watch on as many as four devices at once. But two of the Disney services, ESPN+ and Hulu, carry advertising, while Netflix is commercial-free.

The company’s crusade to become a streaming giant has been a costly one. Investments in new online services led to a $553 million loss in Disney’s direct-to-consumer division, part of generally disappointing results released on Tuesday. And that deficit is expected to rise to $900 million in the current quarter.

But Disney’s trove of films and TV shows from its Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars brands will make it a formidable competitor, said Ivan Feinseth, chief investment officer at New York’s Tigress Financial Partners LLC.

“Disney has powerful content,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

HBO Max

The aggressive pricing could also create headaches for HBO Max, a streaming service from AT&T Inc. that’s scheduled to launch next spring. That package also will offer family programming and original shows. The cost for that package hasn’t been announced yet. But HBO alone costs $14.99 a month, suggesting that it will be hard to compete with Disney’s price.

Disney is betting online services will counter the loss of conventional TV viewers for flagship channels like ESPN, ABC and the Disney Channel. Earlier this year, the company spent $71 billion acquiring the movie and TV assets of Fox to bolster its future offerings.

With Hulu + Live TV, the company also offers a package of 60-plus live television channels intended to compete with cable and satellite services for $44.99 a month.

From Chris Evans to Hugh Jackman, Hollywood bigwigs mourn Stan Lee's death

Stan Lee revolutionized pop culture as the co-creator of iconic superheroes characters such as Spider-Man, Thor and The Hulk.

Hollywood bigwigs, including Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Hugh Jackman, Tuesday mourned the death of Marvel legend Stan Lee.

Lee, who revolutionized pop culture as the co-creator of iconic superheroes characters such as Spider-Man, Thor and The Hulk, died early Monday at the age of 95. He had suffered a number of illnesses in recent years.

Many of his characters were turned into major film franchises that earned Marvel billions of dollars in profits.

In a statement, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger condoled the death of "Marvel Chairman Emeritus, Stan Lee".

"Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created. A superhero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart," he said.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige tweeted, "No one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee. Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all. Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and his millions of fans. #ThankYouStan #Excelsior!".

Evans and Downey Jr, who play Captain America and Iron in the Marvel cinematic universe, also condoled his death.

"There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!" Evans tweeted.

Downey Jr posted his old picture with the comic book legend on Instagram and wrote, "I owe it all to you... Rest In Peace Stan... #MCU #Excelsior #legend #rip #stanlee #TeamStark"

Jackman, who played the X-Men character Wolverine in eight films across 17 years, called Lee a "creative genius".

"Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I'm proud to have been a small part of his legacy and .... to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine" he wrote on Twitter.

"Thor" actor Chris Hemsworth shared an image of Lee in the character's traditional helmet and holding Mjolnir on Instagram.

"RIP my friend. Thank you for the incredible adventures your stories took all of us on. My love and support goes out to all your friends and family," Hemsworth said.... Read More

Business Standard