You can preorder Disney’s new streaming service, but this is why you should wait

September 24, 2019

By Kim Komando

For millions of Americans, today feels like their birthday, the last day of school and Christmas all rolled into one. Why? Disney is now taking pre-orders for its new streaming service Disney+.Disney+ has the kind of buzz other streaming services can only dream of. And those same streaming services have been bracing themselves for the juggernaut that’s coming when Dinsey+ launches on Nov. 12.We’ll tell you what has TV lovers so excited about Disney+ now taking pre-orders. We’ll also tell you why you may want to wait a bit to sign on and which streaming device isn’t in on the action yet.

The Disney+ phenomenon

When other streaming services in the past launched, many of them had limited content. Disney+, meanwhile, is coming online fully formed.When Disney announced its creation, other streaming services took it hard. Disney+ will immediately start streaming films from Disney, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars and Pixar.No company is suffering more from this tectonic shift in the streaming services industry than Netflix. Once upon a time, it had exclusive rights to films from Disney, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars and Pixar. Related: Disney vs Apple TV: Streaming service comparison Disney also bought all of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets, so Disney+ is now also the exclusive home of “The Simpsons” and other Fox Entertainment properties such as the X-Men. Disney+ also includes National Geographic programming.All these visual riches in one streaming service. No wonder people are thrilled they can now pre-order the service. And as an added bonus, if you pre-order, Disney says you’ll be among the first customers to start streaming Disney+ content on day one.You can log onto Disney+ now and subscribe for a thrifty price of $7 per month. Compare that to Netflix, which costs between $9 and $16.

But wait, there’s more

Before you rush to sign up for Disney+ today, you may want to slow down a bit. If you wait until launch day, yes there will be a bit of a lag before you can start streaming Disney+ content, but you also will be able to save some bucks.Besides launching its streaming service, Disney will be offering a bundled package of services to go easy on your wallet. The bundled package includes Disney+, Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ for just $13.Disney is the majority shareholder of Hulu, but Comcast Corporation’s NBCUniversal has a 33% stake in the streaming service. However, in May, Disney and Comcast announced that Disney will “assume full operational control of Hulu, effective immediately.” Related: Here’s why Netflix should be worried about this new streaming service ESPN+ is another Disney property. This version of ESPN may not have “SportsCenter,” but it will include an interesting mix of programs such as limited major league baseball games, hockey and soccer, as well as Grand Slam tennis, boxing, PGA tournaments, college sports, and UFC fights.Rounding out the ESPN+ programming is ESPN Films’ full library, including its critically acclaimed series of documentaries “30 for 30.”And speaking of NBCUniversal, last week the company announced it was launching its own streaming channel in 2020 called Peacock.Named after NBC’s longtime logo, Peacock has a slew of shows produced by NBCUniversal that it can add to its service, such as “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Cheers,” “Downton Abbey,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Frasier,” “Will & Grace” and many more.

Wither Amazon?

The list of devices that will support Disney+ is lengthy: Roku, Chromecast, iPhones, iPads, Android phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One and PS4. Did you notice which device is missing?Amazon Fire isn’t on the list. But before you Firestick owners’ despair, Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors in August that Disney+ would be available through Amazon. Perhaps they’re in the process of working out the details.Komando.com has been bringing you updates on the increasingly crowded field of streaming service providers. So you can count on us to let you know if and when Amazon and Disney strike a deal on Disney+.