Disney+ — set to launch on November 12, 2019 — is now only a month away, and fans are bracing themselves for a riveting rush of the media conglomerate’s vast array of content.

From Marvel masterpieces to memorable musicals and classic animated tales, Disney+ is set to be the streaming service standard — rivaling Netflix and Amazon with its sheer store of classic content, as well as the original pieces planned for the platform.

Disney+ | ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

While Disney+ will be another streaming service — charging admirers yet another subscription fee — it will separate itself from competitors in a few main ways. First off, Disney+ will be a bit cheaper than its rivals, coming in at a flat rate of $6.99 per month, with a bundle option for Hulu and ESPN available for purchase.

While all sounds fine and dandy — cheap content and bundle options — one Disney+ feature is bound to cause quite the stir. Disney plans to differentiate itself from competitors in one way that will likely detract from the joy intimately connected to streaming a show: the binge.

Disney+ will release content on a weekly basis, mimicking network TV

According to TV Line, episodes for Disney+ original shows will arrive weekly, as is the case for network programs. This will be one of the ways Disney+ differentiates itself from competitors; however, as a result, fans will have to make room in their calendars to keep up with a weekly release schedule.

Everyone knows a vast piece of Netflix’s appeal is the binge: people wait for Stranger Things, Orange Is the New Black, Big Mouth, and more to hit the small screen so they can stay up all night, text their friends after each episode, and — though maybe miles apart — join a group of other bingers determined to get to the end in one sitting!

Who’s the most committed? Who’s the biggest fan? Who is willing to call out of work the next day just to finish Stranger Things season 3? Streaming services allow people to take in the narrative in one or two major sittings, decreasing the commitment akin to network programs, which require you to tune in weekly, every night at the same time, to keep up with the rest of the fanbase.

All of these and more, coming soon to #DisneyPlus. Pre-order now (US only) and start streaming November 12: https://t.co/FY6oclaA8H pic.twitter.com/hUBXM60tzn — Disney+ (@disneyplus) September 23, 2019

The binge is what separates streaming services from network programs; Disney’s choice to release its episodes weekly may result in negative consequences, as fans excited for the viewership behavior that comes with a subscription service will have to sacrifice what they’re used to and what they are expecting.

While Disney+ will sacrifice the binge, the platform will allow you to download all pieces of content for offline viewing. Unlike Netflix and Amazon, which only allow viewers to download some content, Disney+ will let you download anything they put up. Thus, there is a balance of pros and cons at play here; you have to take the good with the bad. However, will the inability to binge take away from the fun?

This is the start of something—and we can’t stress this enough—new!



See a special telecast of the first episode of #HighSchoolMusical: The Musical: The Series Friday Nov. 8 on @ABCNetwork, @FreeformTV, and @DisneyChannel. Start streaming Nov. 12 only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/pdvzMyIxyE — Disney+ (@disneyplus) October 11, 2019

Everyone wants to watch WandaVision in one sitting. However, by separating out the episodes, especially when it comes to Marvel content Disney may be able to, more seamlessly, initiate the cross-conversation between the small and silver screen planned for Phase 4; content will stay fresher in fans’ minds this way.