Disney has spoken about their forthcoming streaming service a lot, but one thing they've neglected to do is give it a name. We've just been referring to as the Disney Streaming Service whenever it's talked about, but it may actually have a name which Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed. He, at least, is not calling it the Disney Streaming Service. He calls it Disney Play.
While no official announcement has been made regarding what the name of the new service will be, Variety points out that Disney's top guy is referring to the service as Disney Play. He used the term during a recent Disney earnings call, which would seem to indicate that it's either the current name of the system internally or simply a name that Iger himself likes. Of course, if the boss likes the name, there's a decent chance that means the name could end up being the actual name of the service.
Although, without any real indication, it's also possible that Bob Iger is using the name specifically because it isn't what the streaming service will be called. It's a way to refer to the service by a short and clear title without revealing what it will actually be called before it's time to reveal the name. It's certainly easier than calling it the Disney Streaming Service all the time.
Disney Play is a decent name, though it's one that seems a little unoriginal. The Starz cable channel, which Disney has an existing deal with, uses that name for its streaming element and, of course, Google uses that name for its entire online store. I would honestly expect something a bit more original from Disney.
Disney Play is one of the more hotly anticipated new online products in recent memory. Following Disney's major acquisitions in recent years including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and most recently 21st Century Fox, Disney simply has the largest library of any major studio which potentially makes the new Disney service incredibly attractive to consumers. While it is clear that not all of Disney's major titles will be available on day one, existing deals mean that some Disney products will be licensed elsewhere for an undisclosed period of time, it does seem like eventually, the service will be the only place to find things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything from Star Wars. In addition to the existing material, a number of original movies and TV series are being produced.
Disney has a massive existing fan base it seems like a no-brainer that the majority of them will be jumping into Disney Play pretty much at day one. The service is expected to launch somewhere in the second half of 2019, though an exact date has yet to be revealed.
