Disney+ Officially Launches in the UK and More European Countries

by

Disney+ today officially launched in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria.

disneyplus
The premium streaming service is accessible via web browser, on Amazon Fire devices, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV (4K or HD), iOS devices, Android, Google Chromecast, Xbox One, PS4, and smart TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, and Vizio. You can download the iPhone and iPad apps here.

The subscription price in the U.K. and across Europe is £5.99/€6.99 per month, or £59.99/€69.99 for an annual subscription.

Over 500 feature films and over 7,500 shows are available on the service including new original content like the critically acclaimed "The Mandalorian" and "The World According To Jeff Goldblum," along with timeless classics like "Lady and the Tramp," "Star Wars," and the entire Pixar library.

Disney+ has been available in the U.S. for a while now, but subscribers should note that there will be some content differences in the European offering because of licensing issues.

Due to the anticipated high load on the continent's broadband infrastructure because of a surge in remote working, Disney+ is following other digital video services by streaming at an intentionally lowered bitrate, so picture quality won't be as good as some viewers will be expecting.

It's unclear how long Disney intends to limit video quality, but Netflix said last Thursday that it plans to implement similar measures for 30 days, following a request from the European Union.

The launch of Disney+ has been delayed in France by two weeks on request of the French government – Disney+ will now launch in the country the week of April 7.

Disney says the service will launch later this summer in additional Western Europe markets, including Belgium, the Nordics, and Portugal. Disney+ has been available in the Netherlands since September, when it launched there as a pilot trial.

Tags: Europe, United Kingdom, Disney Plus

Top Rated Comments

sublunar Avatar
sublunar
46 months ago

Just checked and can confirm. Right now only the first 2 episodes are there.
Clearly to stop Star Wars fans from signing up for a month and then cancelling?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robbieduncan Avatar
robbieduncan
46 months ago

Clearly to stop Star Wars fans from signing up for a month and then cancelling?
Or just using the 7 day free trial and watching it all
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BvizioN Avatar
BvizioN
46 months ago
I will happily pay £5.99 for this service.
The timing couldn't have been any more perfect.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
orbital~debris
46 months ago

Yeah, it's safe to assume that every European wanting to see that show already has.
Your assumption’s incorrect. I’m European and have been eagerly awaiting the UK launch of Disney+ so I can watch this show.

I’d rather be an honest consumer of content and prefer to pay for things that have value to me.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WhiteHawk Avatar
WhiteHawk
46 months ago

Your assumption’s incorrect. I’m European and have been eagerly awaiting the UK launch of Disney+ so I can watch this show.

I’d rather be an honest consumer of content and prefer to pay for things that have value to me.
Yep, not everyone is a thieving scumbag. Just wish we didn’t have this drop in quality right now as it’s definitely having more of an impact on the image quality than it is on the internet infrastructure.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Phazer Avatar
The Phazer
46 months ago

The US got, for example, some Marvel movies and not others. That’s all down to pre-existing licensing agreements - when they expire they’ll all end up on Disney+. (I went through a whole lot of the Disney+ catalog couple days after it released here, and favorited anything that interested me - a surprising number of them had availability dates that were many months away - some a year or more IIRC.)

Presumably some of the same thing is going on in the UK and Europe - if they signed a 3 year contract for UK licensing rights for a particular movie with some UK company, 2 years ago, then they can’t offer it for streaming there for another year - unless they can renegotiate the contract, and said company might demand crazily much more money for that, or may simply refuse to renegotiate.
The UK actually has more Marvel movies than the US.

They're holding back on Noelle because it's a Christmas film rather than other contracts.

Frozen 2 isn't coming until July though, due to the existing agreements with Sky. Unclear what will happen with Onward.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
Read Full Article • 147 comments
Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
Read Full Article
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
Read Full Article • 99 comments
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Concerns Highlighted in Two More Reports

Thursday September 28, 2023 6:25 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max overheating concerns continue to make headlines this week, with the topic highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Both of the reports document anecdotal complaints from customers, and outline potential causes, but it's unclear how many devices are actually affected. Bloomberg said the overheating could be caused or compounded by the iPhone's setup...
Read Full Article • 324 comments
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
Read Full Article • 230 comments
iPhone 15 USB C Port Keynote

Some USB-C Power Banks Fail to Work With iPhone 15

Thursday September 28, 2023 2:06 pm PDT by
Apple added a USB-C port to the iPhone 15 lineup this year, allowing it to work with USB-C cables, USB-C power banks, and more. It turns out that some USB-C battery packs are not working properly with Apple's iPhone 15, resulting in charging issues. As highlighted on Reddit and the MacRumors forums, not all existing USB-C power banks can be used with the iPhone 15 models, perhaps due to the...
Read Full Article • 210 comments
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
Read Full Article • 101 comments