Apple TV Arrives Today... OTT Spring and Autumn Period

Apple Officially Launches on the 4th... Subscription Fee 6,500 KRW per Month, Up to 6 Accounts Sharing
Disney+ Launches on the 12th, Vast Content Advantage... 9,900 KRW per Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] In the domestic online video service (OTT) market, where Netflix is dominating, ‘Apple TV Plus (Apple TV+)’ and ‘Disney Plus (Disney+)’ are consecutively launching. Apple TV+ offers only original content that matches the brand value of Apple, prioritizing quality over quantity, while Disney+ challenges the market by leveraging the vast content library of its affiliated companies, based on Disney, a traditional media company with a 100-year history.

Apple TV+ and Disney+ Consecutively Land in Korea

On the 4th, Apple announced the official launch and start of services for the OTT ‘Apple TV+’, the ‘Apple TV application’, and the streaming device ‘Apple TV 4K’ in Korea. The streaming service Apple TV+ can be watched by installing the Apple TV app on TVs connected to the Apple TV 4K set-top box, iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Samsung and LG smart TVs. The Apple TV app allows users to subscribe to and use various streaming services including Apple TV+, Wavve, Watcha, and Disney+.

To ensure a smooth landing in the Korean market, Apple TV+ introduced an affordable price. The subscription fee is 6,500 KRW per month, and up to six accounts can share the subscription. This price is lower than Netflix’s lowest plan (9,500 KRW per month) as well as Disney+ (9,900 KRW per month).

Following Apple, Disney+ will be launched on the 12th. Disney+ offers a variety of content from Disney affiliates such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star. The subscription fee is set at 9,900 KRW per month or 99,000 KRW annually. It supports simultaneous access on up to four devices and allows downloads on up to ten mobile devices.

Disney+ Leads in Content Competitiveness

Among the two global OTTs newly entering the Korean market, Disney+, which is launching a ‘quantity offensive’ by mobilizing a vast number of works, is expected to settle more easily in the Korean market.

Currently, Disney+ holds more than 16,000 episodes of content. This includes Disney animations such as ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Frozen’, the Marvel ‘Avengers’ series with a strong fandom, and the ‘Star Wars’ series. Especially, the abundance of content suitable for children from Disney and Pixar is considered a definite strength. Since existing OTTs like Netflix have mostly focused on adult content, demand for Disney+ is naturally high among families with children.

Moon Cheolsu, chairman of the Korea OTT Forum (professor at Hanshin University), said, “Due to the nature of the content, Apple TV+ seems to have to compete directly with Netflix rather than Disney+. Disney+ can be a complementary product to Netflix, but Apple TV+ has a strong substitute character, so the process of a smooth landing will not be easy at first.”

Apple streaming device 'Apple TV 4K'

In contrast, Apple TV+’s content competitiveness is relatively weaker. Apple TV+ is the industry’s first content subscription service to offer only original content, but as a result, it provides only about 70 titles. Therefore, voices are emerging that it will be difficult to compete with other OTTs that offer not only original content but also domestic and international dramas, movies, and entertainment shows.

Apple seems to be aware of this perspective and, in line with the Korean launch, is presenting ‘Dr. Brain’, the first Korean original series directed by director Kim Ji-woon and starring actor Lee Sun-kyun. Additionally, new works such as the drama ‘Pachinko’, starring actors Youn Yuh-jung and Lee Min-ho, will be added monthly.

There is also an opinion that Apple’s unique closed ecosystem could be a disadvantage in terms of scalability compared to Disney+ and Netflix. Until now, other OTTs have had no accessibility issues regardless of the device model such as smartphones, but Apple TV+ is available only in a relatively limited environment.

Cheon Hye-seon, head of the Media Management Center at the Media Future Research Institute, said, “In Korea, there are not yet many customers for device-based services like Apple’s. Since this business model is unfamiliar, it is true that there are challenges.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.