{"id":1476275,"date":"2022-05-16T07:46:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T11:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1476275"},"modified":"2022-05-16T07:46:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T11:46:56","slug":"these-dozen-disney-plus-alternatives-offer-families-options-but-is-it-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-dozen-disney-plus-alternatives-offer-families-options-but-is-it-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"These Dozen Disney Plus Alternatives Offer Families Options. But Is It Enough?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthese-dozen-disney-plus-alternatives-offer-families-options-but-is-it-enough%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1476275&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Cookie-Mobster-1-e1652534773871.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>On Wednesday, Disney announced it added only 1.5 million domestic subscribers this spring to its flagship streaming service, with anticipated higher costs in the year ahead. The company\u2019s market value quickly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/disney-stock-gains-as-streaming-additions-overcome-earnings-revenue-miss-11652300727\">dipped<\/a> to a two-year low.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Such weak results seem to confirm the power of a movement among conservative parents to \u201ccancel Disney\u201d after surreptitiously recorded <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/poll-68-percent-americans-less-211429571.html\">remarks<\/a> by Disney creative executives about their \u201cnot-so-secret gay agenda\u201d spread online. Relaying what he has heard from Christian families about those comments, Erick Goss, head of faith-based streamer Minno, called it \u201ca real breach of trust\u201d in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Holz, director of Focus on the Family\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pluggedin.com\/\">Plugged In<\/a>, which provides parental reviews of popular entertainment, said Disney\u2019s embrace of a \u201cprogressive agenda\u201d has made some families willing to sacrifice Marvel, Star Wars, and even Disney classics. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard from many people who are ready to cut the Mouse House cord, even though it\u2019s still home to some really big franchises,\u201d stated Holz via email. \u201cI say bravo to that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Top streamer Netflix, for years a target of parents\u2019 ire due to titles such as \u201cCuties\u201d among others, has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/04\/29\/7-counterpoints-about-whether-netflix-will-keep-bleeding-subscribers\/\">also faced subscriber losses<\/a> and massive stock declines in recent weeks.\u00a0Yet streaming services <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/earnings-preview-is-disney-in-for-a-wake-up-call-like-netflix-11652139534\">are expected<\/a> to pick up about 80 million subscribers this year. Will family-friendly streaming alternatives get a chunk of that projected growth?<\/p>\n<p>Popular blogger <a href=\"https:\/\/entertainment.substack.com\/archive\">Entertainment Strategy Guy<\/a>, a former Hollywood professional who now writes about the industry, said via email that \u201clow barriers to entry\u201d have resulted in a proliferation of smaller streamers. \u201cOftentimes they start with a clear niche, but they need to go broad and have hit shows and films to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The Good, the Bad, and the Hallmark Clones<\/h2>\n<p>Backed by major studio Sony, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/news\/2020\/november\/sony-acquires-pure-flix-affirm-faith-streaming-entertainmen.html\">acquired<\/a> it in late 2020, Pure Flix has the highest name awareness among faith-and-family streamers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pure Flix<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pureflix.com\/\">$8 per month<\/a>) has been improving under Sony, as originals like crime drama \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/08\/03\/vindication-returns-for-season-2-mixing-faith-with-small-town-crime-drama\/\">Vindication<\/a>\u201d and military chaplain biopic \u201cIndivisible\u201d are rounded out by licensed titles such as comedy \u201cMoms\u2019 Night Out\u201d featuring Patricia Heaton, UPtv\u2019s \u201cHeartland\u201d (also popular on Netflix), early \u201990s action flicks \u201c3 Ninjas,\u201d and even Mike Rowe\u2019s \u201cSomebody\u2019s Gotta Do It.\u201d For young kids, there\u2019s \u201cVeggieTales\u201d and \u201cSuperbook\u201d along with lots of animal-centric titles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an exciting time for us because people are really responding to our content,\u201d said Michael Scott, CEO of Pure Flix, in a statement. They have 13 original films and series rolling out this year (with a Karen Kingsbury <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/sony-affirm-originals-sets-thousand-171931918.html\">TV series<\/a> also in production), a small fraction of what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/02\/24\/netflix-disney-hbo-max-other-streaming-services-subs-arpu-q4-2021.html\">major streamers<\/a> have planned.<\/p>\n<p>Households seeking innocent-enough romance-centric, inspirational content have other options. <strong>UP Faith &#038; Family <\/strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/upfaithandfamily.com\/\">$6 per month<\/a>) has what critics have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crosswalk.com\/culture\/television\/family-friendly-alternatives-to-disney-plus.html\">called<\/a> a \u201cstellar selection of <a href=\"https:\/\/my.upfaithandfamily.com\/upff-exclusive-hits\">original movies<\/a>\u201d including Janette Oke\u2019s popular \u201cLove Comes Softly\u201d film series and some music specials from artists like Carrie Underwood. Or go to the fountainhead of this genre, as <strong>Hallmark Movies Now<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hmnow.com\/\">$4.99 per month<\/a>) has hundreds of titles \u2014 although note some families <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/2021-lgbtq-christmas-movies-stories-single-all-the-way-christmas-house-160059142.html\">are wary<\/a> of a few LGBTQ-centered plotlines present in recent titles.<\/p>\n<p>For a surprisingly wide selection of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crackle.com\/shows\/classics\">classic TV shows<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crackle.com\/movies\/faith-based\">faith-based films<\/a> (alongside some mature titles), consider ad-supported streamer <strong>Crackle<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crackle.com\/\">free<\/a>), owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul. Crackle has <a href=\"https:\/\/allyourscreens.com\/en\/component\/k2\/item\/1430-q-a-crackle-head-of-programming-jeff-meier\">become known<\/a> as a hub of forgotten decades-old programs, a rarity in this age of short-shelf-life entertainment. But there\u2019s almost nothing on Crackle for young children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If toddlers and grade-schoolers are a family\u2019s primary streaming need, two players offer solid options. <strong>Minno<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gominno.com\/whats-on\/\">$7 per month<\/a>) focuses exclusively on Christian-based children\u2019s titles, although its kids library is only marginally larger than Pure Flix. CEO Goss, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptistmessenger.com\/minno-is-the-new-streaming-platform-for-christian-kids-and-its-excellent\/\">former Amazon executive<\/a>, told me they are working with \u201cseasoned Christian creatives whose shows are on Netflix, Disney, Amazon, and Apple TV Plus\u201d on a dozen new shows in production.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, to expand its selection for youngsters, <strong>Yippee<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yippee.tv\/\">$8 per month<\/a>) has inked deals with a couple dozen YouTube creators into Minecraft and outdoor adventures to complement its \u201cVeggieTales\u201d and faith-based programs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Overwhelmed By Similar (Limited) Options<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Even experts like Holz of Plugged In have trouble telling apart all these similar brands. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a one-stop shop of family-friendly, Christian content that rivals the overall spread of genres and content that Disney can,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But wait \u2014 there\u2019s more! A handful of content producers have built streaming services around their small selection of quality programs. Edging into Disney\u2019s strength in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyplus.com\/editorial\/musicals\">musicals<\/a>, <strong>Sight &#038; Sound TV<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sight-sound.tv\/\">$10 per rental<\/a>) features elaborate staged productions with impressive sets, dynamic original songs, and live animals.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, for those seeking to stream classic \u201cAnne of Green Gables\u201d films and the \u201cRoad to Avonlea\u201d TV series, Sullivan Productions\u2019 <strong>Gazebo TV<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazebotv.com\/\">$8 per rental<\/a>) offers those beloved titles. And <strong>RedeemTV<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/watch.redeemtv.com\/browse\">free<\/a>) from Christian History Institute features their documentaries and animated \u201cThe Pilgrim\u2019s Progress,\u201d alongside a few other titles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Other players target conservative families with differing models. <strong>FrndlyTV<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/try.frndlytv.com\/\">$9 per month<\/a>) is more like a DVR app, allowing users to quickly build up a library of favorite shows from 35 family-targeted channels. While <strong>Angel Studios<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.angel.com\/watch\">free<\/a>) currently has a small slate of shows, several like \u201cThe Chosen\u201d and \u201cDry Bar Comedy\u201d are bona fide hits and they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kateohare\/2022\/02\/the-chosens-angel-studios-attracts-investment-to-bypass-traditional-hollywood\/\">help build<\/a> a community around each brand \u2014 followers who also crowdfund and share in the success.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even news networks are testing the waters. Driven by current events shows,\u00a0<strong>Fox Nation\u00a0<\/strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/nation.foxnews.com\/\">$6 per month<\/a>) features documentaries including \u201cHero Dogs\u201d and for-the-whole-family sports entries.\u00a0Meanwhile,\u00a0<strong>Daily Wire<\/strong>\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/watch\">$14 per month<\/a>), with its own news analysis shows alongside a few\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/2022\/02\/daily-wire-film-conservative-shut-in-1234697971\/\">dramatic films<\/a>, plans to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/03\/30\/daily-wire-kids-entertainment\">invest $100 million<\/a>\u00a0in kids entertainment over the next three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Will Family-Focused, Faith-Conscious Studios Reach Critical Mass?<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Looking broadly at the streaming marketplace, industry pro Entertainment Strategy Guy contends that only four to eight major services with critical mass will last. Could one of those be a family-focused rival to Disney Plus? \u201cMaybe,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould a family-and-faith service be able to stand up to Netflix, Disney, Paramount Plus (Nickelodeon), PBS Kids, and HBO Max? That\u2019s a tough proposition,\u201d says the blogger. \u201cCould it make money and have a core fanbase? Probably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sources familiar with these niche streamers say most are content to serve a small segment of families rather than pursue mergers or other critical-mass strategies. Still, to that end, three well-funded entities have recently made plays in faith-and-family entertainment.<\/p>\n<p>Early this year, Angel Studios (distributors of \u201cThe Chosen\u201d) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/angel-studios-streaming-platform-behind-the-chosen-raises-47-million-investment-led-by-gigafund-to-give-hollywood-a-remake-301454786.html\">announced<\/a> that Gigafund \u2014 a firm that boosted Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX venture \u2014 has backed Angel in an investment round raising $47 million. However, rather than building a streamer, the studio distributes programs to niche and major partners (like Amazon). Angel\u2019s next projects will be previewed soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>GAC Media, led by former Crown Media president Bill Abbott, <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2022\/04\/candace-cameron-bure-gac-family-gac-media-1235005363\/\">made headlines<\/a> recently by bringing on Candace Cameron Bure to head up show development for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gacfamily.com\/\">GAC Family<\/a>, which already features \u201cFuller House\u201d (formerly a Netflix exclusive), \u201cWhen Hope Calls,\u201d (a spin-off of Hallmark\u2019s runaway hit \u201cWhen Calls the Heart\u201d), and other programs in production.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While Abbott <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movieguide.org\/news-articles\/bill-abbott-on-future-of-gac-family-we-want-to-be-relentlessly-family-friendly.html\">has said<\/a> GAC intends to be \u201cthe leader in this space,\u201d it\u2019s unclear whether the network will venture beyond its Hallmark-genre roots into children\u2019s and faith-conscious titles. GAC Media plans for streaming will roll out over the next year, according to a company rep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/mark-burnett-roma-downey-aiming-to-raise-100-million-for-faith-based-streaming-service.html\">have discussed<\/a> the need for a major faith-and-family streamer since Disney Plus launched. LightWorkers Media, their subsidiary at MGM, even produced several shows including \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt7949624\/\">The Baxters<\/a>\u201d (currently unreleased). With MGM recently <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/tv\/news\/mgm-amazon-mark-burnett-survivor-1234982257\/\">acquired by Amazon<\/a>, the status of that planned streamer is unclear and inquiries were not immediately answered.<\/p>\n<p>With this complex market in major flux, Plugged In\u2019s Holz gives the bottom line: \u201cMost families don\u2019t have the ability to subscribe to a bunch of niche streaming outlets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many people end up reaching for the brand they associate with family entertainment: Disney. Their streaming service has another \u201cStar Wars\u201d entry, the $100-million limited series \u201cObi-Wan Kenobi,\u201d out in a couple weeks \u2014 alongside several titles celebrating LGBT Pride Month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Holz, a critical-mass alternative cannot come soon enough. \u201cIt might be that consolidation among these niche services needs to happen for families to take full advantage of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Josh Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy for several media outlets including The Stream. His articles have appeared in Christianity Today, Religion &#038; Politics, Faithfully Magazine, Religion News Service, and Providence Magazine. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he previously worked on staff at The Heritage Foundation and Focus on the Family. Josh and his wife live in the Washington, D.C. area with their two children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday, Disney announced it added only 1.5 million domestic subscribers this spring to its flagship streaming service, with anticipated higher costs in the year ahead. The company\u2019s market value<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":626,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1476275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1476275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/626"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1476275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1476275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1476275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1476275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1476275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}