It’s barely been a year since Netflix became the exclusive site for streaming Disney movies. Now, in a stunning reversal, the House of Mouse has announced it plans to pull its films from the service and start up one of its own in 2019.
The original programming might have been a bit grim, but Jan Dodonna thought his Disney subscription was worth every credit. Image: Lucasfilm
Announced during its earnings report today, Disney confirmed plans to remove all of its movies from the service and end its streaming agreement with Netflix in 2019, meaning that movies like Toy Story 4 or Frozen 2, both due out that year, will not come to Netflix. Exclusive rights were only granted to Netflix by Disney starting last September, making it the only place to stream new Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and — as of June, with the arrival of Rogue One on the platform — Star Wars movies.
After the deal is nullified, Disney is planning to launch its own streaming service sometime in 2019 as well, so don’t expect those movies to show up anywhere else. (Hooray for having to get a billion proprietary subscription services to stream the content you want!) The current deal only affects rights to new Disney movies, so it has no effects on Netflix’s current relationship with Marvel to develop shows like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, but this is still a big blow to Netflix’s catalogue of movies.
However, a press release posted to the official Walt Disney website does confirm that Disney’s planned streaming service will not just be the exclusive home for its theatrical movies, but also new original content, including movies and TV programming:
The new Disney-branded service will become the exclusive home in the U.S. for subscription-video-on-demand viewing of the newest live action and animated movies from Disney and Pixar, beginning with the 2019 theatrical slate, which includes Toy Story 4, the sequel to Frozen, and The Lion King from Disney live-action, along with other highly anticipated movies. Disney will also make a significant investment in an annual slate of original movies, TV shows, short-form content and other Disney-branded exclusives for the service. Additionally, the service will feature a vast collection of library content, including Disney and Pixar movies and Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD television programming.
Following the initial announcement, Disney CEO Bob Iger noted on a media call that while Disney’s own movies was moving over to the new services, the rights of the Star Wars and Marvel films are still being decided — and in fact, those movies specifically could stay exclusive to a place like Netflix:
IGER: “the Disney branded app will have…Disney and Pixar. The disposition of.. Marvel and Lucas or Star Wars…we have not determined yet”
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) August 8, 2017
Re: Marvel and Star Wars, Iger says “It’s possible we will continue to license them to a pay service like Netflix.”
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) August 8, 2017
Meanwhile, Iger also further confirmed that the current deal Netflix has with Marvel to produce and stream the Defenders series of shows will continue, with the shows staying on Netflix after 2019:
“But Iger told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin on “Closing Bell” that Marvel shows will stay on Netflix.” https://t.co/YuvRs1PzHo
— Daredevil Manw/oFear (@manwithoutfear) August 8, 2017
Comments
34 responses to “Disney Is Planning To Pull All Of Its Movies From Netflix And Start Its Own Streaming Service”
Disney is about to learn the hard way Netflix only makes streaming look easy.
Obviously, this is to cut out more middlemen thus more profit (no surprise there).
I’m just wondering it the time it takes to finally break even after setting up its own streaming service will be worth it for Disney.
Won’t be surprised if some years later they close their streaming service and come back to Netflix.
Or it’ll be like EA’s Origin, which was created for exactly the same reasons and used the exact same tactics.
Origin at least has early access on it’s side. Disney can only really do that with their straight to stream movies, and even then cable companies might kick up a fuss. I think Disney can only really target parents who need a baby sitter and don’t want to put in any thought. Even then the default to Disney generation are grandparents now.
Hang on, why can’t Disney do early access to films through its service? I’m not talking about weeks, but maybe a day or two in advance. All the kids that want to see Frozen 2 or what have you, they’d be pestering their parents to subscribe!
That is part of the reason I don’t get EA games on PC unless they are via GoG.com (being in Aus means specific EULA clauses are void).
The main thing that put me off was at one point all purchases (physical or digital) could only be downloaded within 12 months of being registered to origin.
After that, one had to have a backup of the content otherwise the game could not be reinstalled.
I think it has changed since then but when I found that tidbit I ditched the client and have not used it since.
When was that? I was playing EA games since back when they convert from EA downloader to Origin and I have never seen such thing?
It was in an obscure part of their documentation. This might have been when it was still the EA download manager.
I honestly can’t remember exactly when as it was so long ago.
Streaming services are seriously becoming ‘the new cable channel’. 15 here, 10 there, 15 here, 20 there… before you know it, you’re up into Foxtel pricing for a bunch of streaming services that have 80% the same content across them.
Despite the flak I get, this is why I still like my content on BluRay. I don’t have to worry which service has what license and if I have membership or not.
It’s basically sad how streaming services are eroding from being a strong alternative to physical media to being no different to a sample DVD on a magazine.
I will always prefer bluray for things I want to keep. Digital and streaming is not the same quality and there is no guarantee that show/movie will be on Netflix when I want to watch it.
but who can be stuffed getting up to change the bluray?
Exactly as I said in the anime article yesterday where I learned HIDIVE is a new anime streaming service.
Too many streaming services.
Another streaming service to divide content. Lovely.
Isn’t the market fragmented enough as it is? I already need to have subscriptions to like five different services if I want access to most of the content I regularly watch, and even then, there’s gaps.
Urgh. Don’t give them a challenge. They might succeed!
I’ve seriously been considering HiDive, too, considering what it’s got on offer. My biggest hurdle isn’t actually the money but the fact that they don’t have any apps for my TV or PS4. Although, I haven’t checked it for my – ugh – xbone. By the by, if you see the boneS UX guys around the campus, give them a good knee-capping for me, eh?
should be able to cast the screen and sound to any of those devices from PC Transientmind
Yeah, gonna have to bite the bullet and actually GET a chromecast or similar. Haven’t had to so far, thanks to apps.
FWIW HiDive is what used to be ANN’s Anime Network, it’s sort of been absorbed into a bigger thing and it seems pretty reasonable.
But yeah, even for anime nowadays you’re looking at Netflix, Crunchyroll, HiDive and Amazon Prime + Anime Strike. And then you’ve got Sony buying out Funimation, so who knows if their mutual deal with Crunchyroll is going to stay around…
And that’s just one subgenre. Add in another four or five services for normal TV and movies. The golden age of streaming is over and now every company wants to run their own little fiefdom. 🙁
There is also Anime Lab. To be honest if I could get one mega subscription across these services for $25 with all the content they include having so much in simulcast and play back features, sub and dub it would be worth it but right now you can have 3 subscriptions that just overlap what each other has in terms of Catalog and simulcast, while still missing a lot of the newer stuff.
It’s getting kinda ridiculous.
Ohyeah, I forgot about that, I’m totally subbed to that.
Oh and they announce this the same month Netflix debt got extended (into the billions) and while asset growth and stock evaluation inceases it doesnt show balance sheet profitability to compensate rising debt… yet more mahor companies think investing in streamering is good?, the bubbles going to burst sonetime ???
im still waiting for a distributed network with ALL content being available for ease of access and ease on a network
something like a key encrypted P2P with all content…. hey they are already out there they are called Kodi and Popcorn time amongst others…. you think those big companies would just buy out popcorn time and use it legally with a login
easy as making a pie/easy as pie
So when is australian netflix getting rogue one?
Most likely a long time later in a galaxy far, far away…..
One day before Disney pulls it off it and announces their service is US only for now.
Yeah, I’m confused with this. I thought that Force Awakens was about the same time as Canada so was expecting Rogue One to be on Netflix last month.
Yep we did get Force Awakens at the same time as the US. Disney movies have been getting progressively worse with matching their US dates. I can only assume that the local Disney office has arced up to head office about DVD sales or something.
Ugh, terrible news. Wait until Sony, Fox and everybody else and their grandmas start their own service.
I guess it’s just the wait it always goes. Something old and bad is replaced by something new and awesome, then everybody piling up to get a slice of that action eventually makes the new and awesome become old and bad and then the new thing appears, and so on.
Ah yes… everyone just try to charge your $15 per month so that we have between 5-10 different services to subscribe to and $75-150 per month to spend for streaming content… and just watch while piracy continues to be a major thorn in your side. Idiots.
Another service to pay for.
Its like Steam and the countless other game services. We all wish companies would just release stuff on Steam.
Installed on my machine right now is Steam, Origin, Bethesdas, Epics, Hi-Rez, Blizzards.
Its fucking stupid! But at least theyre free.
Sreaming services… we have to pay for all of them!
Jesus-fucking-christ! Pirate the shit out it people!
I’d rather everyone releases games on GoG actually. Forget Steam, it’s glorified DRM in disguise. GoG all the way.
Is it just me or do I see this thing going down the same track as Disney’s Infinity? We all know how that one ended.
Beyond annoying, the fragmentation is making pay tv channels a better more comprehensive option, Crazy!!!
Oh jfc. Once again, content exclusivity fucking over the consumer.