Disney+ Australia: Everything you need to know

Disney+ is here. In fact, Australia was one of the first five countries in the world to get access to the House of Mouse's streaming service. That's pretty nifty, considering how long we had to wait for Netflix. Excitingly, Disney+ is now also home to a whole slate of content from Fox Entertainment.

Here's everything you need to know about Disney+ and its new Star content hub: 

In this Guide

• What is Disney+?
• How much does Disney+ cost in Australia?
• What can I watch on Disney+ in Australia?
• How can I watch Disney+?
• What are the best broadband plans for Disney+?
• What are the alternatives to Disney+?
• Disney+ FAQ

What is Disney+?

Disney+ is Disney's streaming service, pitched as the "exclusive home" of our favourite childhood flicks, Marvel's superhero blockbusters, the Star Wars saga, and more. 

The service is also home to Star, a new content hub that will feature shows and movies from Fox Entertainment, with titles such as Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, and the most of the Alien franchise - cementing the Xenomorph's position as a Disney princess.

Disney+ price Australia

At present, Disney+ costs $11.99 per month in Australia. Alternatively, you can commit to a year upfront for a discounted price of $119. That essentially gets you two months for free. 

Australian customers who subscribed before February 23 will have a six-month grace period during which the original pricing if $8.99 per month will continue to be honoured. From August 22 2021, all subscribers whether paying monthly or annually will be bumped up to the new price structure. Of course, opting for an annual plan means you won't need to pay again until your year is up.

A standard Disney+ subscription allows you to stream in up to 4K resolution with HDR support, on up to four different devices at once. By contrast, Netflix will charge you $19.99 for those benefits, which are only included on its "Premium" plan. That makes Disney+ look like a pretty good deal. See our sister site Reviews AU for the full run-down on how to stream Disney+ in 4K.

The Disney+ smartphone and tablet app also allows offline downloads. There isn't a fixed number of shows or movies you can download to your device at a single time, so the only real restriction is the amount of storage you have left on your device. You can authorise up to 10 smartphones or tablets for simultaneous offline downloads, which is a lot more generous than what you'd get on Netflix or Stan. 

What can I watch on Disney+ in Australia?

The Australian version of Disney+ is home to over 600 movies and more than 100 TV series, and is predominantly made up Disney classics, Pixar movies, Marvel movies, Star Wars, content from National Geographic, and 29 seasons of The Simpsons.

Much like its rival Netflix and others, Disney is also investing in exclusive, original content for its streaming platform. This includes The Mandalorian, a live-action Star Wars TV series starring Pedro Pascal as a bounty hunter; The World According to Jeff Goldblum, in which Goldblum investigates subjects like ice cream; a "live-action" remake of Lady & The Tramp; and more.

The Disney+ plan for original content also includes several Marvel TV series, such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision (which is already live), Loki, and Hawkeye.

Disney+ also has 150 TV series and 450 movies available as part of its Star content hub. This also includes four original series: Big Sky, Love, Victor, Helstrom, and Solar Opposites.

Big Sky comes from David E. Kelley, known for Big Little Lies and The Undoing - we are legitimately surprised Nicole Kidman isn’t headlining this one.

Love, Victor is written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the minds behind tragic drama This Is Us.

Solar Opposites joins the ranks of adult animation and is co-created by Justin Roiland, known best for Rick and Morty, and Mike McMahan.

Helstrom is a drama series executive produced by Paul Zbyszewski who produced the twists and turns of the epic TV series Lost.

Love, Victor, Solar Opposites, and Helstrom are all exclusive to Hulu in the United States, while Big Sky comes from the American ABC. 

Can I watch Disney+ content anywhere else?

Disney+ is being pitched as the "exclusive home" for Disney-owned movies and TV shows, so most Disney+ content isn't available anywhere else. In fact, in the lead up to the Disney+ launch, Stan removed every single Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel movie available on its service. 

However, Disney-owned shows and movies are still available for purchase and rent through digital video storefronts like iTunes and Google Play. 

How can I watch Disney+?

To stream shows and movies through Disney+, you'll need an active internet connection and a compatible device.

Disney+ is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Roku set-top boxes (possibly including Telstra TV), and in the worst case scenario, web browsers.

The Disney+ app is also available on selected smart TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony. 

In terms of watching Disney+ on your TV (without a smart TV app), we've got a quick overview of which popular devices are compatible with major Australian streaming and catch-up TV services below. You'll find Disney+ in the final column. 

Streaming Device Compatibility

Apple TV (2015+)

*

Telstra TV 3

Fetch TV

Foxtel Now Box

Chromecast

**

Amazon Fire TV

PlayStation 4

PlayStation 3

Xbox One

Xbox 360

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* Foxtel Now is only available through Airplay, and not as a standalone app.

** Foxtel Now is streamed through the Foxtel GO app.

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Streaming Device Compatibility

Apple TV (2015+)			*
Telstra TV 3
Fetch TV
Foxtel Now Box
Chromecast
Amazon Fire TV
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 3
Xbox One
Xbox 360

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* Foxtel Now is only available through Airplay, and not as a standalone app

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What are the best broadband plans for Disney+?

If you want to get the most out of a Disney+ subscription, you'll need an internet plan with enough data to handle everything you want to stream and a connection that's fast enough to stream it. 

Here are Disney+'s official data usage figures when viewing on a connected device such as a smart TV, a Chromecast, or an Apple TV. 

Be aware that data usage is different on your mobile phone.

In general, we recommend that serious streamers should opt for an internet plan with at least 500GB per month. Unlimited data plans are best if you don't want to monitor your usage, and they're now available almost everywhere, including on the NBN.

If you're an NBN subscriber, it should be possible to watch Disney+ on any speed tier, even an NBN 12 plan. However, if you want to stream in 4K or have a multi-user household, we'd recommend an NBN 50 speed plan or higher.

What are the alternatives to Disney+ in Australia?

Disney+ is a great streaming service, but Australians can also sign up for Netflix, Stan, Binge, and Amazon Prime Video, as well as access free catch-up options from ABC (iview), Ten (Tenplay), Seven (7Plus), Nine (9Now), and SBS (On Demand). 

International streaming behemoth Netflix is Disney+'s biggest rival domestically. Netflix has increasingly been focusing on an its original content line up - including shows such as Stranger Things, The Good Place, Orange is the New Black, BoJack Horseman, and more - but there's also a wealth of other shows, movies, and documentaries to discover.

Stan is a homegrown streaming service owned by Nine that offers a wide range of content, including originally-made TV shows and exclusive programming from the Showtime network.

Binge is Foxtel's newest take on a streaming service and starts at $10 per month. You'll find plenty of big name content you'd normally need to subscribe to Foxtel for, such as such as Game of Thrones, Westworld, and The Walking Dead. 

Plans

	Plan	Inclusions	Price	Details
Binge	Basic Subscription	Basic Subscription The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 1 screen at once, available in SD stream Deal: 14-day free trial $10/mth Min. cost $10 per month	$10/mth Min cost $10 per month	Free Trial
Binge	Standard Subscription	Standard Subscription The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 2 screens at once, available in HD stream Deal: 14-day free trial $14/mth Min. cost $14 per month	$14/mth Min cost $14 per month	Free Trial
Binge	Premium Subscription	Premium Subscription The world's best shows, thousands of hours of shows and movies Ad-free on Demand Watch on 4 screens at once, available in HD stream Deal: 14-day free trial $18/mth Min. cost $18 per month	$18/mth Min cost $18 per month	Free Trial

Amazon Prime Video is still the cheapest streaming major streaming service in Australia, billed at a low-ish $6.99 per month. The library isn't as extensive as what you'll find on Stan or Netflix, but it does have exclusive content including American Gods and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

For a more in-depth look at the major streaming services available in Australia, head to our comparison guide. 

Does Disney+ have a free trial?

While Disney+ previously offered a seven-day free trial in Australia, this is no longer the case. New subscribers need to pay for their first month to test out the service.