[Article has been updated on 19 Jan 2021 to include promotional offers]
On Thursday (Jan 7), StarHub announced that it has inked an exclusive agreement with The Walt Disney Company to become the official distributor for Disney+ in Singapore.
Users will be able to access content on the Disney+ streaming platform through StarHub’s television, fibre broadband or mobile 5G network services.
Come February 23, customers will be able to view content access Disney’s six brands of content on the device of their choice, whether on their televisions or mobile devices, said StarHub.
Existing and new StarHub TV+ customers who subscribe to at least two TV+ Passes will be eligible for a Disney+ promotional offer at launch.
Up to 12 months of Disney+ access will be available for existing and new customers on 2Gbps Fibre Broadband as well as Mobile+ $95 and $155 5G-enabled plans.
If you are considering to sign up for Disney+, here’s how it matches up to the other major video-streaming platforms in Singapore.
How Different Is Disney+ From Other Video-Streaming Platforms?
Six content brands will be available to viewers: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and the long-running Asian entertainment platform Star.
Subscribers will get to choose from over 500 films and 15,000 episodes of content.
They will also get access to exclusive Disney+ Originals and specials, including the popular The Mandolorian, Marvel Studios’ WandaVision, Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, and more.
This also makes Singapore the first market globally to receive access to content from all six brands.
According to a news release, Star will double the amount of content available to watch on Disney+, bringing TV shows and movies from Disney Television Studios, FX Productions and 20th Century Studios to the streaming service.
Movies like Deadpool 1 and 2 will come to Disney+ via Star, along with shows like How I Met Your Mother and The X-Files.
Star might be familiar in Asia, as the brand has distributed tons of series and movies over here but it’s making its global debut for other countries only in February.
The very first Star Original will premiere on Disney+, a thriller named Big Sky from creator David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, Boston Legal). Other old favourites come with Star too, such as 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, Atlanta, Blackish and more.
On the other hand, dominant player Netflix has a huge catalogue of content ranging from Breaking Bad to Billions, which are produced by TV networks.
The powerhouse also produces their own original series such as Stranger Things, The Crown, Haunting On The Hill House and the recent The Queen’s Gambit which you can’t find on other platforms.
Netflix and Disney+ will see some overlap in content but Disney+ entices with a wide variety of content that are also not available on Netflix.
In terms of content, Amazon Prime Video offers significantly fewer shows compared to Netflix and the other players.
However, they also produce their own shows — Amazon Originals — such as Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Man In The High Castle, The Expanse, Bosch, The Grand Tour, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Good Omens and Homecoming.
Meawhile, HBO Go, as its name suggests, is mostly for HBO shows such as the blockbuster Game of Thrones. It’s also great if you wish to watch shows like Band of Brothers, Sex and the City, and True Detective.
Should You Sign Up For Disney+?
Subscription fees for Disney+ are at S$11.98 a month or S$119.98 a year — this is quite reasonable and on par with Netflix.
Netflix’s plans range from S$11.98 to S$19.98 a month, depending on the number of devices.
Based on the variety of content it offers, Disney+ can be a strong contender for Netflix.
If you are feeling jaded with the content on Netflix, that’s one reason to sign up for Disney+.
On the other hand, Amazon Prime Video comes bundled with other Amazon Prime services such as free one-day domestic delivery service.
Therefore, it is more of an add-on if you are an existing Amazon customer and do not mind paying S$2.99 per month (for now).
Featured Image Credit: Reuters / Disney+