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February 23, 2021


The streaming landscape changes soon with Disney+ Star and Paramount+ both available in short order. Are you ready? This week, we'll talk a bit more about what you can expect from both of these service upgrades.

Streamer's Spotlight: Should I Care About Disney+ and Paramount+?

Both Disney+ Star and Paramount+ have been making the cord-cutting news rounds, especially given the quality of content they'll offer. On the Disney+ Star side of things, Star looks to bring adult (R-rated and heftier PG-13) titles to the previously family-friendly Disney+ service. As for Paramount+, the service is a rebrand of CBS All Access, only now with a load more content. Should we care at all about either? 
 

Disney+ Star Is a Big Change


By "big change", what we really mean here is a change in direction. When Disney first launched Disney+, the intention was (it seemed) to keep it family-focused. Star changes that with its inclusion of R-rated content primarily produced by Fox Entertainment, which Disney recently purchased. 

This is mostly Disney capitalizing on its cache of Fox content, which they certainly can't be blamed for. But to acknowledge some of the concerns about what some parents might feel was a bait-and-switch, Disney is adding parental controls to the Disney+ app. The system will offer a graduated rating system, starting at age 0 through 18, with 7 different age steps.

That's a positive approach, even without the incoming adult content. As such, Disney+ is about to get a whole lot better, especially from a parental controls perspective, boosting the use case for the service. 
 

The Paramount+ Rebrand Needs to Include a New App


We love CBS All Access and its wide range of content. Much like Disney+, CBS expanding with more content from one of its recently-acquired brands (Paramount) is big news for the size of its library. But the bigger concern here will be whether ViacomCBS also improves the app.

The CBS All Access app is notoriously buggy. Case in point: CBS All Access has a 3.6 out of 5 on Google Play, with many comments focusing on app functionality. 

More content will certainly bring value to the CBS All Access ecosystem once the Paramount+ switch happens. But if that doesn't also come with an app upgrade, Paramount+ might not win the rebrand of the year award. 

This Week's Streaming Guide

1. 'Superman & Lois' TV Show Hits Airwaves TODAY

Yes, we've been down this road before, but we're sure you'll love the Superman/Lois dynamic once again. Watch on the CW tonight at 8 PM EST. - Watch the CW Live Without Cable

2. 'Punky Brewster' Time Warps to 2021 This THURSDAY

The nostalgia remake train continues this Thursday on Peacock with the Punky Brewster remake. - Watch on Peacock

3. Virtual Reality Short 'Myth: A Frozen Tale' Comes to Disney+

This anticipated short film first released on the Oculus Rift. It'll be available on Disney+ this Friday. - Watch on Disney+

4. New NBC Sci-Fi Show 'Debris' Debuts this MONDAY

Start your week with new science fiction! As mysterious alien objects fall from the sky, shadow organizations race to control them and what they can do. Stream on NBC live at 10 PM EST - Watch on Netflix

News and Industry Developments

1. Disney+ Adding Parental Controls

The new controls account for more than just R-rated content coming to Disney+ via Star. - Variety

2. Now Even Hulu's Immune to Cord-Cutting

Higher prices and a loss of RSNs could be behind Hulu's loss of 100,000 customers. - Motley Fool

3. Disney+ Crashed Due to 'WandaVision' Popularity

Disney's winning big with WandaVision. So much so, in fact, that its servers can't keep up. - NBC News

4. YouTube TV Adds HBO Max, Showtime, and Starz with $30 Bundle

Collectively, that's less than paying for each one individually. - Insider
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