Disney CEO Bob Iger 'Not Worried' About Netflix, Apple +: 'We’re Very Different'

After the masterstroke through a Verizon deal that offers the new streaming service, Disney plus free for a year, Disney CEO Bob Iger declared he is not worried about competition as Disney+ is a unique and different product.

Under the Verizon deal, existing Verizon wireless unlimited customers, Fios home internet and 5G home internet customers and customers who pre-ordered the Disney+ subscriptions will get the service free.

Bob Iger told CNBC: “We’re not worried about competition in terms of pricing because we have such a unique product. We’re very, very different than any other service that is out there.”

Disney’s “in one service, on one app” will offer a swath of new and existing TV shows, Disney movies and films from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and National Geographic, Iger said.

For Disney+, the Verizon offer is a bonanza as it will take the nascent service to millions of early subscribers who will become regular subscribers after the first year.

The crowded streaming market is packed by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max.

Iger called Verizon bundling as “wholesale deal” and “we will get paid for that. They will also support us with a lot of marketing,” Iger said, adding, “It will have a significant effect in terms of jump-starting subscriptions.”

On the competition ahead for the “Disney World streaming”, Iger said, “while we view the others as competition, we’re not fixated on the competitive side of things here.”

The Disney app, Disney+ will be launched on Nov. 12 for $6.99 a month and will be accessible from multiple platforms, including iPhone, Android, Roku, Xbox, and PS4, and customers can download videos and watch them offline.

Disney’s deal with Verizon looks similar to Apple’s offer for its streaming service Apple TV+, due in early November. Apple TV+ will cost $4.99 per month.

Apple TV+ will also come free to customers buying Apple products such as iPhone, Apple TV, iPad or Mac.

By next week, the details of the pricing and launch date of HBO Max by AT&T’s WarnerMedia will be out.

When the market is turning to modest subscriptions, Netflix had hiked prices earlier this year and is charging its most popular HD streaming plan $12.99, up from $10.99. Verizon’s announcement has pulled down Netflix shares in the after-hours trading.