Disney to end Netflix deal and launch its own streaming service
Disney will end its distribution deal with Netflix and launch its own streaming service, the company announced today. It intends to launch the service in 2019.
The move is a real blow to Netflix, which secured a valuable streaming deal with Disney back in 2012 — before streaming had really taken off. The deal only kicked into effect last year, so Netflix is barely seeing any benefit here.
At the same time, it’s a natural step for Disney, which has a huge library of valuable movies and shows to offer. Disney already makes it hard to get a lot of its top movies — requiring people to purchase, rather than rent, a film for instance — so it makes sense that we’re seeing the company try to draw even bigger profits from streaming.
Netflix won’t...