Looks like Disney wants a piece of the streaming service pie. The company plans to end its distribution deal with Netflix to launch its own service, which they plan to unveil two years from now and it’ll come first to the US and then internationally. It seems like a natural move for Disney with its big library of movies and shows to offer, which they’ve kept mostly close to their chest. The Netflix deal, which was secured back in 2012, only took into effect last year, so this is going to be a big blow to the streaming giant.
But Netflix won’t lose the Disney films right away. Disney intends to cut Netflix off starting with its 2019 movies and the streaming service can keep all the films that it gets through the end of that year. This means, we’d get two out of the three new Star Wars movies. Also, the Marvel TV shows are staying on the service. Whether Netflix will re-evaluate producing future Marvel shows is a different discussion.
Aside from launching a Disney streaming service, the company also plans to launch an ESPN streaming service that will bring about “10,000 live regional, national, and international games and events a year.” They will offer individual sports packages and will sell subscriptions directly to consumers. As more and more people are cutting cords, being able to give consumers access to their favorite sports events might be an enticing offer.
Source: The Verge