Disney CEO is ‘not really worried’ that Apple TV+ costs less than Disney+

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With Apple TV+ ready to compete against Disney+, Bob Iger resigns from the Apple board.
Disney CEO Bob Iger seems confident that his mouse can eat any Apple.
Photo: Josh Hallett/Flickr CC

Apple TV+ and Disney+ both launch next month, but the iPhone-maker’s streaming video service will cost less.

Even so, Disney CEO Bob Iger says he’s unconcerned.

“We’re not really worried about competition in terms of pricing because we have such a unique product,” Iger told CNBC. Disney+ will stream content from the Star Wars catalog as well as Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and, of course, Disney itself.

Apple TV+ cost vs. Disney+ cost

A subscription to Disney TV+ costs $6.99 a month. The rival Apple TV+ runs $4.99 a month, but it can’t claim any huge, well-established franchises like its competitor. Instead, Apple pins its hopes on new programs like sci-fi/fantasy show See and alt-history space race drama For All Mankind.

Apple’s service does boast plenty of star power, though, with Jason Momoa, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Stephen King and many other big names on board.

And the cost of Apple TV+ is even lower for many of Cupertino’s customers. Anyone who bought a new iPhone or iPad this fall gets Apple TV+ free for a year. That said, Disney and Verizon worked out a similar deal where the telecom’s top-tier subscribers get a free one-year trial of Disney+.

Both companies will be up against more established streaming video services. These generally cost more, like Netflix’s $12.99 monthly subscription or Hulu’s $11.99.

But this might not last. It’s possible that Apple and Disney plan to slowly increase the cost of their offerings over time. Consider that Netflix cost just $7.99 back in 2015.

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