'Netflix Rival' Fades... Disney+ and Apple TV+ Show Lackluster One-Month Performance

Loud Entrance... Weak Content Wall
Production Industry Also Rates "Korean Content Investment as Passive"

Disney Plus(+)

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "I'm a long-time Marvel fan, so I watch Disney Plus (+); otherwise, I would have canceled it a long time ago." (Major community netizen)

Disney+ and Apple TV+, which had raised expectations as domestic 'Netflix challengers,' received disappointing performance results after one month of service since their launch last month. They are criticized for having a significantly insufficient number of contents and being stingy in investing in Korean content.

According to the industry on the 10th, WiseApp, an application (app) and purchase analysis service, recently investigated payments made by Koreans aged 20 and over using credit or debit cards on Disney+. It estimated that 310,000 users made payments during the first week from the opening day on the 12th of last month to the 19th, with a payment amount of approximately 17.2 billion KRW. The number of users also dropped by 32.7%, from 590,000 daily mobile users on the first day of release to 400,000 on the 21st of the same month, according to Mobile Index data compiled by mobile big data platform company IGAWorks.

Disney+ raised expectations with strong IPs such as the Marvel Avengers series, Star Wars, Disney, and Pixar animations, but it has been pointed out that there is a lack of new content. Although there are about 16,000 episodes of content, familiar content to domestic consumers is limited, so expectations and concerns coexist. Since the official launch of the domestic service, the only Korean original content introduced is a spin-off version of the popular Korean variety show 'Running Man.' The structure that does not allow a 'preview' before paying the monthly subscription fee also caused inconvenience.

On the 4th of the same month, Apple TV Plus also introduced the Korean original 'Dr. Brain,' starring actor Lee Sun-kyun, upon its domestic launch, but it did not make a significant impact. Since original content is the focus, the number of contents available at the time of release was only about 70. The original drama 'Pachinko,' which attracted attention with actor Lee Min-ho, will be released next year. The OTT set-top box 'Apple TV 4K' is focused on the Apple ecosystem, which is not easily accessible to Android users. The high price of the separately purchased set-top box, around 200,000 KRW, is also a barrier that makes access difficult.

Some point out that both Disney+ and Apple TV+ lack efforts to collaborate on content with the Korean production industry, which is the driving force behind Netflix's success. Netflix announced that it will invest about 550 billion KRW in Korean content this year. Due to several hits of Korean original content, Netflix has enjoyed an increase in paid subscribers, and the competition over intellectual property (IP) has raised the production costs of works.

An industry insider said, "Disney+ and Apple TV+ rely too much on their existing original IP and the producer-centered Hollywood-style production method in the U.S.," adding, "Netflix trusted the Korean production industry, allowing various ideas to emerge on-site, whereas these global OTTs are somewhat conservative in their approach." Another industry insider said, "The latecomers seem to focus more on dramas and variety shows rather than tentpole works, raising questions about their direction."

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