Netflix Boss Weighs in on How Disney+ Will Affect Their Business

In 2019, everyone and their mother has either launched (or is about to launch) their own streaming platform to try meeting the necessities of an ever-changing digital landscape. While Netflix still holds strong in its share of the streaming marketplace, it will face a monstrous threat later this year when The Walt Disney Company rolls out Disney+, a highly-anticipated platform featuring items from the Disney vault, in addition to being the home of all things Pixar, Lucasfilms, and Marvel Studios.

This weekend, Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos was on hand at Series Fest in Denver to chat Netflix. In an astonishingly long Q&A session, Sarandos made sure to touch on the impending debut from the House of Mouse. In a rapid-fire session of “Buy/Hold/Sell,” Sarandos said he’d “hold” on Disney+, meaning it was too early to tell whether he thinks it will end up being a winner for the company.

“I’d say it’s a hold,” Sarandos says. “But I’ll say they’re remarkable storytellers. [Disney CEO Bob Iger] has put together an amazing business. They’re in new space, but they’ve been in new spaces a lot of times.”

The streaming exec added that the one thing these platforms have going for them is the fact they will all have substantial amounts of original content, reducing redundancies for consumers.

“The thing that’s interesting about all these upcoming services, as well as the services that are in the market today, is that mostly they have none of the same programming,” admits Sarandos. “Nothing that’s on Disney+ is going to be on Netflix and nothing that’s on Netflix is going to be on the [Comcast and WarnerMedia services]. They’re going to be very unique. … I think it’s very likely that [users will] add things.”

While Netflix just raised prices for its base package a few weeks ago, Disney+ announced earlier this Spring that initial pricing for their streaming platform would start at just $6.99 per month, nearly half of Netflix’s current price tag.

What’s your go-to streaming platform? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt!

Disney+ is due out November 12th.

(h/t Deadline)