Entertainment

5 reasons why Disney+ is better than Netflix (and 1 big reason why it’s not)

Is it really the better option?

Published

August 24, 2019

Luigi Leonardo

The streaming landscape just got a lot more crowded. At Disney’s D23 Expo earlier today, the entertainment giant shared more official details surrounding its upcoming streaming platform, Disney+. Set for a November launch, the exclusive platform will include the entire Disney movie library, Disney’s latest acquisitions from Fox, and a slate of original movies and series. It’s a great day to be a Disney fan.

As details surface, Disney+ is already positioning itself as a worthy contender against Netflix’s streaming empire. With an exciting archive of content, is it any wonder? Let’s run through the reasons. Here are five ways that Disney+ is better than Netflix (and one big reason why it’s not).

1. An insanely tempting price

Right off the bat, Disney+ has already claimed the most competitive price tag for a streaming service. The platform’s basic plan will cost only US$ 6.99 (approximately PHP 366). Further, Disney is offering a premium ESPN+ and Hulu bundle deal for only US$ 12.99 (approximately PHP 680).

In comparison, Netflix is charging a steeper US$ 8.99 (approximately PHP 469) for the basic bundle. Netflix’s midrange plan costs US$ 12.99 (approximately PHP 680). Finally, the premium plan costs US$ 15.99 (approximately PHP 837).

Objectively, Disney+ is cheaper than most streaming alternatives today. Of course, prices are more than just static numbers. What makes Disney+’s cheaper price worth it (or even better than Netflix’s)?

2. Better device flexibility

Streaming has always worried about rampant account sharing. Most notoriously, Netflix enforces its simultaneous screen limit through its package deals. Its basic plan is compatible with only one screen. From there, the limit increases to two and four screens streaming concurrrently, depending on package.

Disney+ offers a cheaper alternative. Disney+’s basic plan already supports four simultaneous screens — a big win for the family-oriented streaming platform.

3. Sharper resolution

Another common pricing scheme involves the segregation of video quality. Netflix limits its basic plan to standard definition. The premium package, however, ramps it up to UHD resolution.

Again, Disney+ already offers the best available option with its basic plan. At its cheapest, the platform streams in 4K resolution. Similarly, it offers HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio support.

4. 3-in-1 streaming bundles

Disney+’s premium package offers a simultaneous subscription with ESPN+, Disney’s livestreaming platform for sports including basketball, football, and tennis. Similarly, the bundle offers a subscription to Hulu’s ad-supported streaming service. Currently, the separate platform has created timeless originals like The Handmaid’s Tale and Veronica Mars.

On its own, ESPN+ costs US$ 4.99 (approximately PHP 261) per month. Hulu starts at US$ 5.99 (approximately PHP 313) per month.

5. Exciting originals

Naturally, Disney+ is hyping its launch with a slate of much-awaited originals. Since its initial announcement, the platform already has a lot of great titles lined up. For one, Marvel’s upcoming series will stream exclusively on the platform. In fact, D23 announced previously unannounced series: Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

Further, several Star Wars shows are making their way to Disney+: The Mandalorian, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and a Rian Johnson-led trilogy.

Finally, Disney also announced its own properties coming to the platform: a live action The Lady and the Tramp, a High School Musical series, a Lizzie McGuire revival, and a Phineas and Ferb movie.

Disney+ is too good to be true. Unfortunately, it is. With a lot of amazing features, the platform is bound to stumble somewhere. Despite the hype, Disney’s content plan is a big reason why Netflix still beats Disney+.

1. The same old Disney flavor

Before Disney+’s official announcement, Disney already started pulling out its properties from other streaming services. Starting this year, Disney’s blockbusters will stream exclusively on Disney+. For example, the company has claimed streaming ownership over the recently released Toy Story 4 and The Lion King. Upcoming titles like Frozen 2 will also stream exclusively on Disney+.

Coupled with the recently acquired Fox titles, Disney+’s roster is exciting. However, how exciting will it get? Disney is maintaining an iron grip over its content. In comparison, Netflix offers a wider range of titles spanning through romance, horror, action, indie, and comedy. Of course, because of the library’s size, Netflix’s gems are too few and far between. However, Netflix’s wide variety of choice is much more refreshing compared to Disney’s limited options.

Further, Disney’s current hype hinges mostly on nostalgia. Except for Marvel’s entries, Disney’s upcoming slate are either reboots or long-awaited sequels to past properties. Disney’s only “new” exclusives are Noelle and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Compared to Netflix, Disney+ doesn’t have a powerful headliner yet, one that it can proudly call its own.

Finally, Disney+’s lack of originals points to another underlying problem. What exactly is its mission? Disney already has a robust blockbuster market. Through wide theatrical release, Disney puts out its best content. Naturally, the allure of ticket sales prevents Disney from switching entirely to streaming. As such, Disney+ operates as a streaming repository for past movies. It might also serve as a launch platform for “lesser” films, movies that won’t do well in the box office. For example, The Lady and the Tramp — both the original and its remake — arguably belong to Disney’s bench players, a roster that pales in comparison to The Lion King or Aladdin. Likewise, Lizzy McGuire and Phineas and Ferb belong to the same club. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, though stemming from a popular title, doesn’t feature the same cast of characters.

On paper, Disney+ is a mammoth contender in the crowded battlefield of streaming. However, Disney’s current content plan fails to show the same amount of gusto as its competitors. Undoubtedly, its launch slate will cause a tsunami of hype. However, the new streaming platform still must prove its chops as its own capable beast. For now, Netflix is still the streaming queen.

Besides, “Netflix and chill” sounds a lot catchier than “Disney+ and chill.”

Related Topics:Disney Marvel Netflix Star Wars

Entertainment

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 premieres in April

The animated series is set between seasons two and three.

Published

February 3, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Stranger Things is over. After years of success, the long-running series finally reached its definitive conclusion. But if you thought Netflix would easily let its biggest cash cow go, then you’d be mistaken. Barely a month after the final episode, the franchise is back with an animated spinoff called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.

The animated series, which oddly features a new cast to voice the characters, is not a continuation of the concluded story. Rather, it’s a midquel set during the winter between the second and third seasons. Despite closing off a gate to the Upside Down, Eleven and the gang discover that some monsters are still lurking around in their world.

Because we already know what happens up until the very end, there’s hardly any tension. That said, and based on the show’s subtitle, the animated series might be a creature-of-the-week adventure. However, Eric Robles, who will run the series, says that saving Hawkins is still a major plot point.

The Duffer Brothers, who will be executive producers, says that it was a challenge to feature monsters after the events of the main show’s second season. The show will still have a substantial story, though.

For now, we’ll have a bit of a reprieve from everything Stranger Things (or time to catch up with everything, if you prefer). Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will premiere on April 23.

Entertainment

BTS returns with global live comeback event on Netflix this March

BTS reunites live worldwide

Published

February 3, 2026

GadgetMatch

Netflix has officially announced BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG, a global livestream event set for March 21, 2026. This marks the group’s first full reunion performance since completing South Korea’s mandatory military service.

Streaming live exclusively on Netflix, the event will air at 8 PM KST (or 4 AM PST and 7 AM EST). It will broadcast worldwide from the historic Gwanghwamun in Seoul. The performance celebrates the release of BTS’ fifth studio album, ARIRANG.

Netflix partnered with HYBE to bring the seven-member group back to the stage. This is being positioned as a landmark global comeback. RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook will reunite onstage for the first time as a complete group since their hiatus.

The live special will be directed by Hamish Hamilton and produced by Done + Dusted, with executive producers including HYBE, BIGHIT MUSIC, Guy Carrington, Garrett English, and Kevin Hermanson. Netflix confirmed that the event will be ticketed, with further details to be announced at a later date.

A symbolic return in Seoul

The choice of Gwanghwamun as the livestream location adds symbolic weight to the comeback. One of Seoul’s most historic public spaces, the setting reflects the themes explored in ARIRANG. It is an album described as deeply reflective and rooted in identity, heritage, and renewal.

The album announcement arrives alongside confirmation of the ARIRANG World Tour, scheduled to run from 2026 to 2027. The tour will span 34 regions and include 82 shows. This will happen across Asia, North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and additional territories.

Together, the album and live event mark the start of a new chapter for BTS. This follows years of solo activities and military enlistment. The comeback positions the group not just as returning idols, but as artists re-entering the global stage with a renewed sense of perspective.

Netflix expands its live ambitions

BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG also represents a milestone for Netflix. It will be the platform’s first-ever live global broadcast originating from South Korea, further expanding its growing slate of live programming.

The event joins a lineup that already includes live specials. These are Skyscraper Live, Star Search, Jake vs Joshua, WWE Raw, NFL Christmas Gameday, and major boxing and sports events. Netflix has also confirmed upcoming live coverage of MLB games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and The Actor Awards.

With BTS leading the charge, Netflix continues to test the limits of live global entertainment beyond traditional sports and reality formats.

A documentary follows days later

Just days after the livestream, Netflix will release BTS: THE RETURN, a feature-length documentary premiering on March 27, 2026.

Directed by Bao Nguyen, the film chronicles the group’s long-awaited reunion and the making of ARIRANG. The documentary follows BTS as they reunite in Los Angeles. Watch as they create new music, navigating personal change, shared history, and the challenge of beginning again after time apart.

Produced by This Machine, HYBE, and EAST Films, the documentary promises unprecedented access to the group’s creative process. It explores moments of doubt, reflection, and rediscovery as BTS shape what is positioned as a defining album of their career.

Intimate and emotional in tone, BTS: THE RETURN frames the comeback not just as a pop culture moment, but as a story of resilience, brotherhood, and reinvention—one shaped by time, growth, and the weight of global expectation.

For millions of fans worldwide, March 2026 marks not just a return, but the beginning of BTS’ next era.

Entertainment

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord to premiere on April 6

New animated series on Disney Plus

Published

February 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

One of the most iconic franchise villains is making a major comeback as Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is premiering on April 6 on Disney+.

Two episodes from the all-new Lucasfilm animated series will premiere each week. The final two will air right in time for the ultimate Star Wars holiday, May the 4th.

Set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the adventure finds Maul plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire.

There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who could be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is created by Dave Filoni, based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas.

The series is developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz, with Brad Rau as supervising director. The three are also joined by Athena Yvette Portillo, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes as executive producers, with Alex Spotswood as co-executive producer.

The voice cast includes: