Get Your Disney Binge On, ‘Cos Your Favs Won’t Be On Netflix For Long

It was probably inevitable, but it stings nonetheless: Disney has confirmed that it intends to pull its films off Netflix ahead of the planned launch of its own streaming service.

With Disney possessing such a vast content library, it was foolish to ever assume they weren’t going to pursue their own platform in the escalating streaming wars. The company announced in its earnings report on Tuesday that its aiming to launch its own service in 2019 starting in the U.S. and then expanding globally.

CEO Bob Iger clarified that while the company has a “good relationship” with Netflix, they’re going to carve out their own path. Not only are they planning to deliver their existing and future theatrical releases through their own service – duh – they’re also keen on investing in original, exclusive content. In other words… exactly what Netflix has been aggressively doing.

So you’d better wrap your eyes around Disney stuff on Netflix while you can. But no need to rush right into it – the Disney / Netflix deal extends through to 2018.

Apparently, this does not appear to include the Marvel series on Netflix –think Daredevil, Jessica JonesLuke Cage etc. Those will likely remain on the platform for the foreseeable future, but it’ll be interesting to see if Disney elect to partner with Netflix on any future Marvel content.

Disney is also planning an ESPN streaming service – which is sure to be an absolute boon for sports fans – as soon as 2018. It’ll feature about 10,000 sporting events each year. There’s no word on whether it’ll be available in Australia, but it could represent a big shakeup in how Aussies watch sport if so.

The streaming wars are really heating up. It does beg a question though – if you end up forking out 10 to 15 bucks a month each for a bunch of different streaming services… it starts to look a lot like just subscribing to different Foxtel packages. Food for thought?

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