UK TV services Part 3: Netflix
September 19, 2020
UK TV services Part 5: Amazon Prime
September 19, 2020
Best for kids: Disney+
Disney+ is the newest streaming service on the block and it gets a lot of things right on first try.
It has some of the best streaming technology. You can watch on four screens, devices or rooms at once with 4K, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Atmos or Digital 5.1 available as standard. You can download any TV show or movie on the service, and watch it on a large range of devices, including: LG, Samsung and Android smart TVs, Sky Q, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, PS4, Xbox One, smartphones, iPads, Fire tablets and computers in the browser.
The Disney+ interface is fairly straightforward too, and you can have separate accounts, including for children, so the suggestions are relevant to different users. However, the accounts cannot be pin-locked.
Monthly: from £5.99
Minimum contract: one month
Connection: broadband (5Mbps minimum)
The depth and breadth of family-friendly content is unrivalled.
With everything Disney has made right back to the original Mickey Mouse, cartoons such as X-Men from my childhood, all of the modern cartoons as well as the Pixar films. It also has some more adult-themed content, including all the Marvel and Star Wars films and TV shows, all of the Simpsons and National Geographic content, plus a small but solid selection of new Disney+ original content, such as the excellent Mandalorian and recent release of Hamilton.
Disney+ costs £5.99 per month or £59.99 for a year up front, with no contracts or streaming quality limits. It requires a minimum internet speed of 5Mbps for HD and 25Mbps for 4K streaming. The primary downside with Disney+ is the lack of any non-Disney-produced content, but then this is a one-brand service. It’s also worth noting that Disney will withdraw its longstanding Disney Channel, DisneyXD and Disney Junior from Sky and Virgin, making Disney+ the sole home for their content from 1 October 2020.
