This week we learned Disney was planning to grow its own streaming platform offerings after acquiring a majority stake in BAMTech – a streaming-video company founded by Major League Baseball.
What’s more, according to Variety’s report, the company announced it would be ending its distribution agreement with Netflix, meaning streaming of new Disney releases will end with “the 2019 theatrical slate”.
Following the launch of an ESPN-branded “multi-sport video streaming service,” Disney is expected to debut its own consumer streaming service in 2019, but it seems Netflix doesn’t want to let the company go without a fight.
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The company’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, has now said the streaming service is in “active discussions” with Disney about retaining Marvel and Star Wars films after 2019.
As Reuters reports, Disney is yet to confirm the talks are taking place, but it seems Netflix is doing all it can to retain the Marvel and Star Wars licenses.
Variety’s original report explained the forthcoming Disney streaming service as the “exclusive home in the US for subscription VOD access to new releases from Disney and Pixar beginning with the 2019 theatrical slate.
“Those are set to include ‘Toy Story 4’, the sequel to ‘Frozen’, and ‘The Lion King’ from Disney’s live-action division.”
At the time, it wasn’t clear whether Marvel and Lucasfilm releases, both owned by Disney, would be included in the new Disney-branded streaming platform.
Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger did say on Tuesday that Marvel and Lucasfilm movies could stay on Netflix but that the rights could also be given to another streaming service, or remain with Disney.
Netflix will be looking to retain the Marvel licenses in particular, as it currently produces a number of original shows based on Marvel characters, including Jessica Jones and Daredevil.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.