It was confirmed late last night that Disney and Netflix have ended their long-running first-run deal, which saw Disney's output go to Netflix first before any other streaming services.
The deal between Disney and Netflix was signed in 2012, which gave Netflix US streaming rights to Disney's films starting with 2016 releases. However, Disney have now announced plans to begin their own VOD platform in 2019, which means the likes of Frozen 2, the live-action remake of The Lion King, and Toy Story 4 will likely be missing from Netflix's libraries.
It's not yet known if the deal effects the likes of Marvel or Lucasfilm properties, or if it's solely related to Disney product. There was rumours earlier this year that Disney was planning to purchase Netflix outright, however it now looks like Disney is aiming to rival Netflix. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger made it clear there was no disagreement between Netflix, and was somewhat open to licensing the likes of Marvel and Lucasfilm to Netflix.
"It's possible we can license to a pay service like Netflix but it’s premature to say what we can do."
Disney's as-yet unnamed streaming service is set to launch at some stage in 2019.
UPDATE: Netflix have been in touch with a statement. "The statement Disney made only impacts the US and only the pay one output deal for theatrical films. US Netflix members will have access to Disney films on the service through the end of 2019, including all new films that are shown theatrically through the end of 2018. We continue to do business with the Walt Disney Company on many fronts, including our ongoing relationship with Marvel TV."
Via Variety
