Disney Plus Starts with a Minus
Today is the day (or at least it was supposed to be the day). It was supposed to be the day that all our Disney dreams came true as the streaming service, Disney Plus launched this morning. Apparently Disney was not prepared for quite so many dreamers at exactly the same time. As early as seven a.m. (that's early, and I don't understand how quite so many people could have been watching television at that point) users were already registering significant complaints with the service, many features were inaccessible or not working and some users couldn't log in to the new streaming service at all.
How many issues did the company see early this morning? Over 7,000 complaints were registered. Issues ranged from content streaming issues to failed logins and everything in between. People struggled on computers, smart TVs, and mobile applications. There was no telling who would be lucky enough to access content as needed. Some users viewed their first film with no issues only to return to an error-filled homepage and no help to continue enjoying their newest, and newly paid for, content.
Disney hasn't made any official comment on its platform's morning struggles (though apparently those who stayed up to log in even earlier this morning had fewer issues than those hoping to watch something while they had breakfast). The company tested the service early in the Netherlands (one of the markets that also sees the service officially premiere today) and said they had no struggles while testing the platform with that audience, apparently, their sample size was not quite enough for Disney to fully prepare. The trick now is to see how long the struggle lasts versus how long users are willing to put up with it. On the surface, the service might have the most to offer of any of the new options hitting the market. They have the largest back catalog of family films and superhero content. They have new shows, including the first-ever live-action Star Wars series.
Disney Plus isn't free. It's $6.99 a month of $12.99 a month if you'd like to include Hulu and ESPN with your bundle. It's not a ridiculous amount, but any amount is absurd if you're not getting what you paid for. Next month Disney Plus will launch in another three countries. Let's hope by then they are actually ready to accommodate all the subscribers they've been advertising to.
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