iWorld
Walt Disney OTT platform Disney+ goes on-air in US, Canada, and the Netherlands
Mumbai: Disney+ has launched today in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands, with The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) CEO Robert Iger declaring it a “historic moment” for the company.
The service arrives with nearly 500 films and 7,500 episodes of television from brands such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic and costs US$6.99 per month or US$69.99 for a year.
Series exclusive to the service include The Mandalorian, the first-ever live-action Star Wars series; High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, a scripted series set at the real-life East High featured in the blockbuster film franchise; docu-series The World According to Jeff Goldblum from National Geographic; Marvel’s Hero Project; and Encore! executive produced by Kristen Bell.
Beginning November 15, most new episodes of each series will premiere on Fridays at 12:01 AM PT.
“The launch of Disney+ is a historic moment for our company that marks a new era of innovation and creativity,” said Iger, chairman and CEO, TWDC.
TWDC expects to launch Disney+ in most major global markets within its first two years. It will launch next week in Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico on November 19.
It was announced earlier this month that on March 31, 2020, the ad-free service will launch in markets across Western Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Disney+ features three of the four highest grossing films of all time in Avengers: Endgame, Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, plus animated classics Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty & the Beast, Pinocchio, Bambi and The Lion King.
Elsewhere, it has 30 seasons of The Simpsons, 18 Pixar movies – including Wall-E, Up, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Inside Out and Brave – plus thousands of episodes of Disney Channel and Disney Junior series. These include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Kim Possible, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, PJ Masks and Jake & the Never Land Pirates.
It also features over 400 hours of content from National Geographic, including the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary Free Solo and the streaming debut of Science Fair.
Also in the library are all six of the original classic Star Wars films released between 1977 and 1999, in addition to recent blockbusters Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. By the end of 2020, the entire Skywalker saga will be available on the service.
It also includes films from Marvel Studios including Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 2, Thor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man.
Rounding off the library are Marvel television series from the 1970s to present day, including X-Men, Spider-Man and Marvel’s Runaways.
Disney+ offers subscribers up to four concurrent streams, unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices, personalised recommendations and the ability to set up to seven different profiles. Additionally, parents have the ability to set profiles for children to access age-appropriate content.
Starting today, consumers in the US also have the opportunity to purchase a Disney bundle featuring Disney+, Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ for US$12.99 per month.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
