Sky confirms Disney Plus deal as it ramps up streaming war chest
Sky today confirmed it has signed a multi-year deal with Disney Plus to make the nascent streaming service available to its pay-TV customers.
The deal means Disney Plus will be fully-integrated on Sky Q, while Now TV subscribers will be able to access the service in the coming months.
Disney Plus, which launches in the UK on 24 March, will boast more than 25 exclusive originals, including new Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
It is still unclear whether the House of Mouse service will offer The Simpsons in the UK. However, Sky has said the cartoon classic will remain on its pay-TV platform.
In addition, the deal includes rights to 20th Century Studios titles, meaning Sky Cinema customers will continue to enjoy access to blockbusters such as Le Mans ‘66.
The tie-up is the latest distribution deal signed by Comcast-owned Sky as it looks to cement its position as a go-to access point for a range of content options.
In December the media giant renewed its deal with Netflix, while it has similar programming deals with BBC iPlayer, BT Sport, Channel 5 and Warner Media.
The firm is not thought to be interested in partnerships with Britbox — the joint streaming service launched by the BBC and ITV last year — or Amazon Prime, which has started to challenge Sky’s dominance over Premier League football rights.
It is not yet clear whether Sky has staved off rivals BT and Virgin Media to secure an exclusive deal with Disney.
But media analyst Paolo Pescatore said the arrangement suggested that an exclusive deal for a UK provider was “still up for grabs”, adding it was likely to be a mobile operator.
“EE looks to be in prime position given its track record in securing key premium content partnerships,” he said. The BT-owned mobile network last month inked a deal to become the exclusive mobile partner for Britbox.
Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch said: “We’ve built a strong partnership with Disney over three decades and we’re pleased that our customers in the UK and Ireland can continue to enjoy their world-class content – all in one place on Sky Q.”
The deal comes a week after Disney chief executive Bob Iger announced he was stepping down after 15 years at the helm.
Iger has been replaced by Bob Chapek, head of the group’s theme parks division. This decision came as a surprise to many media watchers who expected Kevin Mayer, who oversees Disney Plus, to take the reins.
Mayer said: “We are delighted that Sky is selling the Disney Plus service on their platform and, along with our other distribution partners, will deliver exceptional reach at launch.”
Main image credit: Disney