Everybody gets a streaming service, and with each new addition, our library of stream-able content is scattered even further. Several months ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would be launching its very own streaming service which is expected to launch in 2019. Disney also revealed their intention to produce their own original content for the service, including films and TV series, which leaves Netflix's Disney produced Marvel shows in an awkward position.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal (via /Film), any future Marvel shows will play exclusively on Disney's streaming service, and although there's no word on whether Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher will be following them, it's probably a good bet that they will at some point. The WSJ also confirms that Disney's attempt to purchase much of Twentieth Century Fox was part of their plan to compete with Netflix. "[W]e’ve turned our attention to the one platform seeing growth challenges," Disney Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Mayer said in the WSJ article. "That’s the television platform." Had the Fox deal gone ahead, it would have given Disney control of much of Fox's TV shows, which they likely would have then moved over to their streaming service. Mayer added that he doesn't think of Disney's new service as "an anti-Netflix move," but rather as a "pro-Disney move." Bringing all of Disney's movies and TV shows under one roof won't be cheap, as the WSJ claims that it will end up costing Disney more then $300 million a year.
As for what type of hit Disney's upcoming streaming service will be to your wallet, we don't know yet, but, Bob Iger recently said that it will be "substantially below Netflix because we’ll have substantially less volume." At least for the time being anyway, as we can obviously expect the price to rise once Disney ramps up production on their original content. Netflix's next Marvel series, The Punisher, is slated to debut on November 17th.