Following the news that Disney will launch its own video streaming service in 2019 (and end its distribution deal with Netflix at the same time), Disney’s CEO Bob Iger now says the service will exclusively stream Marvel and Star Wars films.
CNBC reports that while Netflix will continue to stream Marvel films throughout 2018, and will probably also get The Last Jedi sometime next summer, future films such as Star Wars: Episode IX – the final instalment in the saga – and Captain Marvel, which are both slated for release in 2019, will only be streamable on Disney’s service.
That's certainly a blow for Netflix, which has heavily invested in its original Marvel character spin-off series, such as Marvel's Jessica Jones and Daredevil.
As for Disney, exclusivity of such titles is certainly one way to grow a subscription base – although the price of Disney’s service, which so far remains a mystery, will no doubt play a big role in how competitive it will be in the Netflix- and Amazon-dominated arena.
In addition to Disney’s existing TV library, the service will also likely have a handful of original series and exclusive Disney films, too.
Iger also told CNBC that international versions of the service could appear before the US launch due to streaming rights clearances. Fingers crossed the UK will be one of the first to have it, then…
However it pans out, it looks like having everything you want to watch accessible via a single streaming service is looking increasingly unlikely.
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