Disney Plus Goes Live in the Netherlands in Free Trial Run

By Stewart Clarke

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Consumers in the Netherlands became the first in the world to get their hands on Disney Plus when an early version of the hugely anticipated streaming service went live in the country Thursday in a free trial run.

Disney is testing out the platform in the Netherlands, and the soft-launch version does not have the raft of originals series and content that will be part of the official full-fat offering. A launch date of Nov. 12 has been set for  in the Netherlands, the same as in the U.S. and Canada. Australia and New Zealand are slated to follow a week later.

In the Netherlands – where, ironically, Netflix has its European headquarters – Disney fans can now sign up for the free trial and start streaming a selection of catalogue fare from Disney, as well as Pixar, Marvel, “Star Wars” and National Geographic content. They can run up to four concurrent streams, have unlimited downloads, and set up as many as seven profiles. Parents can set up kid-specific profiles that open a child-friendly interface with age-appropriate content.

Several “Avengers” movies, including “Infinity War,” are on the service, as well as the entire “Star Wars” franchise. The selection will vary slightly from market to market given existing licensing deals Disney has with local partners.

The Disney Plus trial is available on a selection of mobile and connected TV devices, including games consoles, media players, and smart TVs. Disney said more will be added ahead of the full launch in November. It will be priced at €6.99 ($7.72) per month locally, or €69.99 for a year-long subscription.

In the U.S., the service has been priced at $6.99 per month.

When the full service rolls out, it will have more than 25 original series and 10 original films during the first year. Big-ticket offerings including “The Mandalorian,” from Jon Favreau, and “Lady and the Tramp,” a reboot of the 1955 animated classic, will be available at launch.

Word of the free trial in the Netherlands spread on social media, where one excited user tweeted: “Currently there is 1 giant benefit of living in the Netherlands…getting #DisneyPlus early.”

Elsa Keslassy contributed to this report.