Disney News

Tag: streaming

  • Disney Gains Full Control Of Hulu In Deal With Comcast

    Disney Gains Full Control Of Hulu In Deal With Comcast

    Disney and Comcast announced today that, effective immediately, Disney will assume full operational control of Hulu.

    NBCUniversal owns 33% of Hulu right now. According to the agreement, Disney can demand Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, sell the remaining stake to Disney for its fair market value in the future. Disney has guaranteed a sale price that represents a minimum total equity value of $27.5 billion.

    And Comcast can require Disney to buy its stake in early 2024.

    Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp. also agreed to fund Hulu’s recent purchase of AT&T Inc.’s 9.5% interest in Hulu. When Hulu make that deal in April, it was rumored that Comcast would allow Disney to acquire whatever part of Hulu it still owned.

    Disney may bundle Hulu with its upcoming kids-focused streaming service, Disney Plus, and its sports service, ESPN Plus, executives said last week.

    Hulu’s $6-a-month service lets users watch original series and network TV episodes after they air on TV. It has a newer live-TV service that costs $45 a month.

    AT&T came by its Hulu stake after buying Time Warner, which invested $583 million in Hulu in 2016. Now the company, known as WarnerMedia, is launching its own streaming service this year, which will focus on HBO and other shows and movies owned by the company.

    NBCUniversal, too, will debut a streaming service in 2020.

    Comcast, as part of the deal announced Tuesday, will extend the Hulu license of NBCUniversal content and the Hulu Live carriage agreement for NBCUniversal channels until late 2024. NBCUniversal can cut off its content for Hulu within three years, if no new agreement exists.

  • Disney Launches Its Sports Streaming Service ESPN+ Today

    Disney Launches Its Sports Streaming Service ESPN+ Today

    Disney has taken its first step into the world of video streaming today with the launching of its new streaming video product ESPN+.

    The new ESPN App has been completely re-imagined experience and includes the seamless integration of ESPN+, the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer premium subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International group, in partnership with ESPN.

    ESPN+ is available for a seven-day free trial, followed by a subscription fee of just $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with the ability to cancel at any time. During the first week of launch (April 12–18), fans are being offered a special extended 30-day free trial subscription backed by American Express.

    The innovative new app elevates the digital sports experience and becomes the premier, all-in-one digital sports platform for fans, giving them easy access to all of ESPN’s news, scores, analysis, video and audio content. With enhanced design and mobility in mind, the new ESPN app and ESPN+ are available across mobile and connected living room devices—with an optimized experience for each platform.

    “This next-generation app is ESPN’s most sophisticated and elegant digital product experience, and a central piece of our next era of innovation,” said James Pitaro, ESPN President and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks. “No one is in a better position than ESPN to serve sports fans. With this launch, fans will find a re-imagined, easy to use and increasingly personalized experience that puts all of ESPN’s incredible content at their fingertips like never before. With the exciting introduction of ESPN+, they’ll also get more sports content than ever, with direct access to thousands of live games, incredible original programs and an unmatched on-demand library, all at a great price.”

    On mobile devices, sports fans will enjoy a highly personalized content experience that begins on the home screen, which features a dynamic feed of relevant ESPN content and coverage—including scores, news, video clips, live events, statistics and more—that balances what is important to each individual fan and the most compelling content that ESPN knows sports fans need. The mobile app also offers three tiers of video access, all powered by BAMTECH Media’s best-in-class video platform: video clips and highlights for all users; “TV Everywhere Streaming” of live and on-demand content from ESPN’s U.S. linear and digital networks for pay TV subscribers; and ESPN+, for the direct-to-consumer streaming service’s subscribers.

    Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International, The Walt Disney Company, added, “The launch of ESPN+ marks a new era of innovation for The Walt Disney Company, defined by a direct and personal relationship with our consumers. This product reflects our new direct-to-consumer strategy focused on combining our incomparable brands and unmatched content with industry-leading technology to give users an unparalleled digital experience. With BAMTECH Media’s state-of-the-art video platform, ESPN+ delivers an incredible experience for fans with a rich slate of content only ESPN can deliver.”

    ESPN+, which is backed by American Express at launch, leverages BAMTECH Media’s video and commerce platform to offer fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. ESPN+ delivers an unparalleled programming lineup powered by four key pillars of content that includes live sports events from MLB, NHL, MLS, college sports, Top Rank Boxing, PGA Tour golf and more; high-quality original shows and films, including the 30 for 30 documentary “The Last Knight,” the first in the award-winning series to appear exclusively on ESPN+; exclusive studio programs, such as Detail, written, produced and hosted by NBA legend Kobe Bryant; and an unmatched on-demand library that includes the entire 30 for 30 archive, the best of ESPN’s award-winning newsmagazine program, E:60, and storytelling brand, SC Featured, and The Masters films, annual recaps of 57 years of The Masters, beginning with Arnold Palmer’s 1960 victory, and going right up until 2017.

    “For the launch of ESPN+, our focus has been on applying the innovations in direct-to-consumer technology we’ve built at BAMTECH over the years to create an all-new best-in-class consumer experience that brings sports fans more of the content they love, wherever, whenever they want,” added Michael Paull, President, BAMTECH Media. “ESPN+ launches with several exciting product features, including an upgraded HD stream quality to make the action crisper and cleaner, and decreased video load time, getting fans into the live action faster.”

    ESPN+ subscribers will receive app and streaming experience enhancements such as HD streaming; functionality that allows users to pause, rewind, restart and even multitask while streaming; limited advertising throughout the entire ESPN App or website; as well as the ability to also subscribe to additional premium streaming services like MLB.TV (and NHL.TV, beginning in 2018–19), all within the ESPN app environment.

    The new ESPN App delivers a unique experience to every fan, while also enabling meaningful curation and presentation from ESPN’s unmatched storytellers, journalists and content creators. The app’s new design delivers a rich, easy-to-use interface that enhances personalization and discoverability—presenting content in a myriad of ways to customize it to each individual fan. The powerful technological platform surfaces ESPN content based on favorite teams, sports and leagues, as well as ESPN’s award-winning journalism and personalities.

    The new ESPN App, which is presented at launch by Audi, delivers a dynamic and comprehensive sports streaming experience on digital living room devices, as well—including a dedicated ESPN+ section surfacing the best live, upcoming, on-demand and library content available to subscribers; as well as access to ESPN’s entire library of available on-demand content.

    The ESPN App with ESPN+ launches today on the following devices and platforms, with more to follow:

    • Amazon: Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV smart TVs and Fire Tablets (4th generation and newer)
    • Apple: iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The ESPN App with ESPN+ will also be supported in the Apple TV App on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
    • Google: Android phones, Android TV and Chromecast
  • These 4 TV Shows Could Make Disney Streaming a Must Have

    These 4 TV Shows Could Make Disney Streaming a Must Have

    In the wake of lower than expected earnings reports, Disney has announced a slew of new programs in the works intended to help jump start their the new Disney streaming service.

    Disney is developing a new Marvel television series, a live-action Star Wars television series and a new trilogy of live-action films from a galaxy far, far away under Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson.

    The Marvel and Star Wars television series will make their exclusive debut on Disney’s forthcoming streaming service, set to launch in 2019, with the service also poised to offer television series based on Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. franchise and Disney Channel’s tween-aimed High School Musical franchise. Disney CEO-chairman Bob Iger announced the news Thursday.

    Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. grossed $577 million worldwide in 2001, with its prequel, Monsters University, scaring up $744 million worldwide in 2013. Both movies starred John Goodman and Billy Crystal as blue-furred James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and one-eyed Mike Wazowski, respectively, best friends and work partners who work as top employees at Monsters, Inc., Monstropolis’ energy-producing company. One of the most popular franchises under the Pixar brand, Monsters, Inc. has a presence in several of Disney’s theme parks across the globe, including Disney California Adventure, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.

    Disney launched the High School Musical franchise in 2006, with the rom-com Disney Channel Original Movie giving way to a 2007 TV-movie sequel and a second sequel, 2008’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the first installment of the tween musical series to be released theatrically. The franchise will return to the small screen with High School Musical 4 under Jeffrey Hornaday, whI directed Teen Beach Movie and Teen Beach 2 — Disney Channel’s newest craze teen musicals.

    These shows already come with a huge fan base and will now be around to attract new generations of audiences. What Disney Movies would you like to turned into a TV series?

  • Live Action Star Wars Series to Air On Disney’s Streaming Service

    Live Action Star Wars Series to Air On Disney’s Streaming Service

    Star Wars - Fin and Rey

    Star Wars is getting the TV treatment with a forthcoming live-action series set to debut on Disney’s digital streaming service. The still-untitled service is set to launch in 2019.

    Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger confirmed the project Thursday while on a quarterly earnings call with investors.

    Additionally, Iger revealed that new TV series based on the 2001 Pixar film Monsters Inc. (which also spawned the 2013 sequel Monsters University) and the Disney Channel film franchise High School Musical also will debut on the service.

    It also was announced that the Star Wars franchise will expand with the launch of a new trilogy of films fromLast Jedi director Rian Johnson. The new movies will be separate from the continuing Skywalker saga and “Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored,” according to an official announcement made by LucasFilm, which is owned by Disney. Johnson will write and direct the first film in the trilogy.

    That new trilogy comes as Lucasfilm also has Solo: A Star Wars Story due out May 25, 2018, and director J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode IX, which is set to bow Dec. 20, 2019. The Last Jedi is slated for release Dec. 15.

    In addition to original programming on the streaming service, Iger said on the call that Disney will consider licensing programming from third parties. The exec also noted that ABC Studios could end up producing for the new service. ‘We’ve talked about that a bit,” he said.

    Although pricing is still being worked out, the plan is to offer the service for less than the price of Netflix, which currently costs $11 per month for its standard plan.

    On the topic of Netflix, Iger noted that he doesn’t necessarily see the streaming service as a competitor but as a means of helping Disney become “a viable player in the direct-to-consumer space, a space that we all know is a very compelling space to be in.”

    Disney’s ESPN service, meanwhile, will launch in spring 2018 and will be called ESPN Plus, Iger confirmed Thursday. The service will exclude sports that currently air on ESPN.

    While this will mark the first live-action Star Wars TV series, George Lucas’ franchise has spawned five animated series, going all the way back to 1985’s Star Wars: Droids, which aired on ABC (long before ABC and LucasFilm were under the same corporate umbrella), as did the second series, Star Wars: Ewoks. The most recent animated entry, Star Wars Rebels, airs on Disney XD, a sister network of Disney Channel. Next up is Star Wars: Force of Destiny, which will debut on YouTube. Both Rebels and Forces of Destiny are produced by LucasFilm Animation.

    Over the years, there have also been three live-action TV specials, most famously the widely lampooned Star Wars: Holiday Special that aired on CBS shortly after the original 1977 film’s release.

    News that a Star Wars live-action series will be premiering on Disney’s streaming service has to be disappointing for ABC, which is also owned by Disney. Network president Channing Dungey expressed her optimism about ABC possibly airing a new Star Wars series at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in 2016 and said talks about that possibility were ongoing.