Misplaced Pages

#772227

114-501: Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney and the launch of the streaming service Disney+ in 2019, the notion of the Disney Vault has been used by journalists to describe practices by Walt Disney Studios restricting many more back-catalogue theatrical films from cinema screenings. This is the modern version of Disney's practice of re-releasing its animated feature films in theaters every several years, which began with

228-689: A 30% stake in Hulu . Most remaining assets ( Fox Broadcasting Company , Fox Television Stations , Fox News Channel , Fox Business , Fox Sports 1 and 2 , Fox Deportes , and the Big Ten Network ) were not part of the deal and they were spun off into a new company called Fox Corporation on March 19, 2019 (a day before the acquisition was completed). Other 21st Century Fox assets such as the Fox Sports Networks and Sky were divested and sold off to Sinclair and Comcast , respectively. 21st Century Fox

342-732: A 73% stake in National Geographic Partners ; and a 30% stake in the streaming service Hulu . The Murdoch family kept ownership of 21st Century Fox's remaining assets under the Fox Corporation name. This remainder consists primarily of the Fox Broadcasting Company , Fox Television Stations (which retains the MyNetworkTV syndication service), Fox News Media (which includes the Fox News and Fox Business networks), and

456-468: A Blu-ray/digital copy combo pack of the films, but only as a Disney Movie Club (DMC) exclusive, which was not released to the public. In 2018, Disney ceased to sell these editions to DMC members, and instead offers the regular Blu-rays as an option. Despite evidence that these two films were supposedly going to be part of the Diamond/Platinum line up, why it never happened is unknown. It is likely because

570-420: A Disney+ and Star original. Disney also plans original factual television content for the service, aiming to "find the ethos of Disney in everyday stories, inspiring hope and sparking the curiosity of audiences of all ages." Some of these series will have ties to Disney properties, including behind-the-scenes documentary miniseries focusing on Disney studios (such as one following the production of Frozen II ),

684-408: A Disney+ original. The following two Pixar films, Luca and Turning Red , were also released as Disney+ originals. On February 1, 2022, Disney announced that Star Original Korean drama series Snowdrop would be released on Disney+ in the U.S. on February 9, 2022, as a Disney+ original; this marks the series becoming the first international content for Disney+ and the first content as both

798-724: A Disney-branded streaming service that would feature its content. Production of films and television shows for exclusive release on the platform began in late 2017. Disney+ was launched on November 12, 2019, in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, and expanded to Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico a week later. It became available in select European countries in March 2020 and in India in April through Star India 's Hotstar streaming service, which

912-527: A ESPN title (with content from ESPN+ ) on Disney+ beginning on December 4, however select ESPN content will still be available for non subscribers. The service is built around content from Disney's main entertainment studios and film and television library, including Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios , Disneynature , Disneytoon Studios , Pixar , Marvel Studios , Lucasfilm , National Geographic , 20th Century Studios , Searchlight Pictures , Touchstone Pictures , 20th Century Animation ,

1026-415: A Future President from CBS Television Studios , its first series from an outside production company. A television series remake of the film High Fidelity was initially announced for Disney+, but in April 2019, it was announced that the project had been moved to Hulu, citing concerns from its staff that the positioning of Disney+ as a family-friendly service was at odds with their creative vision for

1140-489: A bidding war for 21st Century Fox. During a recent shareholders meeting, 21st Century Fox Co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch said 21st Century Fox was not in the category of "sub-scale" companies that were "finding it difficult to leverage their positions in new and emerging video platforms", but was instead a company that had "the required scale to continue to both execute on our aggressive growth strategy and deliver significant increased returns to shareholders". Because Disney owns

1254-623: A content disclaimer on the platform noting the possibility of outdated cultural depictions. Starting in October 2020, a 12-second content disclaimer informing viewers of racially insensitive scenes plays before some older Disney films—including Peter Pan , Dumbo , Swiss Family Robinson , Lady and the Tramp , The Jungle Book , Aladdin (alongside the two direct-to-video sequels) and The Aristocats . Additionally, by January 2021, some of these films were no longer viewable on kids profiles;

SECTION 10

#1732844503773

1368-532: A decision on it still could not be reached. However, on February 20, Bloomberg said CADE would make its ruling on the deal on February 27. On February 21, Bloomberg reported Disney would divest Fox Sports in Brazil and Mexico to get approval in these countries, which were among the last major hurdles for the Disney–Fox deal. On February 27, CADE approved the merger with conditions requiring the aforementioned divestiture of

1482-425: A documentary series chronicling the cultural and societal impact of Marvel's characters. Other factual series include Encore! (a Kristen Bell -produced series that reunites casts from high school musical productions to reprise their roles), (Re)Connect (a reality series produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos ' Milojo Productions), Rogue Trip (a travel series featuring Bob Woodruff and his son Mack) and

1596-429: A greater focus on streaming. They are planning to add more content for Disney+ and their other streaming platforms (such as Hulu) in the future. On December 10, 2020, Disney announced that a year after the launch of Disney+, it had over 86.8 million subscribers. It was later announced that as of January 2, 2021, the platform had over 94.9 million subscribers. In January of the same year, Ricky Strauss, who led

1710-577: A gunfight scene, making it the only film in the Disney animated canon not to be included. Despite being available at launch, at least five films— Home Alone , Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , Ice Age and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties —had been temporarily removed from the service in the United States. It was initially unclear whether

1824-485: A jury trial in any disputes with the company. On October 22, 2024, following a similar policy previously implemented by Netflix and Spotify, Disney announced that in-app subscriptions for Disney+ and Hulu through the Apple App Store on iOS will no longer be accepted. This change coincided with a price hike of US$ 2 for users who subscribed through the website. In November 2024, Disney announced that it will be adding

1938-465: A majority stake in the future. Following the purchase, ESPN announced plans for an "exploratory [over-the-top] project" based on its technology ( ESPN+ ) to supplant its existing linear television services. On August 8, 2017, Disney invoked its option to acquire a controlling stake in BAMTech for $ 1.58 billion, increasing its stake to 75%. Alongside the acquisition, the company also announced plans for

2052-598: A new independent company run by the Murdoch family . According to Disney CEO Bob Iger , the idea of purchasing 21st Century Fox's assets came after Disney acquired majority control of the streaming company BAMTech with anticipation to develop its own streaming service, which would eventually launch in November 2019 as Disney+ . It was less interested in 21st Century Fox's production capacities and more keen to acquire 21st Century Fox's own film and television libraries to help expand

2166-518: A rival all-cash bid for $ 60 billion. Murdoch's family trust controlled 39% of Fox due to shares it held with special voting rights. However, under the company's by-law , those special rights did not apply to a vote on the Disney/Fox deal when the Murdoch trust only controlled 17% of the vote, making it easier for other shareholders to defeat him, which was expected as early as next month. Later that month, it

2280-487: A rumor that the rumored negotiations between Disney and 21st Century Fox were progressing at a rapid pace, Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline Hollywood commented, "given how Disney made the Marvel and Lucasfilm deals under the cone of silence, if this happens we'll probably only know it when it's announced. It is certainly being talked about today." Rumors of a nearing deal continued on December 5, with additional reports suggesting

2394-414: A second, Disney-branded direct-to-consumer service drawing from its entertainment content, which would launch after the company ends its existing distribution agreement with Netflix in 2019. Not long after, Agnes Chu , story and franchise development executive at Walt Disney Imagineering , was the first executive appointed for the unit, as senior vice president of content. Chu led two projects to launch

SECTION 20

#1732844503773

2508-407: A section within its main platform, Disney+, starting on June 26, 2024. On July 25, 2024, Disney announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer Disney+, Hulu and Max as a bundle in the United States. After a woman died in a Disney Springs restaurant, Disney argued that if a user signs up for a Disney+ subscription or a free trial, the user permanently relinquishes their right to

2622-528: A streaming service rather than in movie theaters. Chu later left in August 2020. In December 2017, Disney announced its intent to acquire key entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox . Intended to bolster Disney's content portfolio for its streaming products, the acquisition was completed on March 20, 2019. In January 2018, it was reported that former Apple and Samsung executive Kevin Swint had been appointed

2736-500: A streaming service. Following a carriage agreement with Spectrum in September 2023, Disney+ became available to Spectrum TV Select subscribers for no extra cost. The ad-tier version was later launched in Canada and parts of Europe by November 1, 2023. On December 6, 2023, Disney added a Hulu content hub to Disney+ as a beta for U.S. Disney Bundle subscribers, in a similar manner to

2850-452: A total of 161.8 million Disney+ subscribers worldwide at the end of 2022, with a gain of 200,000 in Canada and the United States, but a net loss of 2.4 million worldwide attributed to the loss of streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket in India. On May 18, 2023, it was announced that Disney+ and Hulu would remove nearly 60 original films and series on May 26 to "cut costs". The news sparked some backlash, mostly towards

2964-471: A tremendous amount of development in that space, but clearly the consumer is voting—loudly." On June 27, the United States Department of Justice gave antitrust approval to Disney under the condition the company sold Fox's 22 regional sports channels within 90 days of closing, to which the company agreed. The next day, Disney and Fox boards scheduled July 27, 2018 as the day shareholders voted on

3078-461: A trial version of Disney+ became available in the Netherlands with limited content available. This testing phase lasted until the official launch on November 12, when trial users were switched to a paid plan. Disney+ became available for pre-order in September in the United States with a 7-day free trial upon launch. In October 2019, Disney released a video that ran for three hours and eighteen minutes on YouTube to showcase their launch lineup. It

3192-496: Is a clear gift to Disney." On the next day, AT&T CEO Randall L. Stephenson gave an interview with CNBC, about Comcast's bid for Fox: "It probably can't help it. You're in a situation where two entities are bidding for an asset, and this kind of action can obviously influence the outcome of those actions." On July 13, Disney received the support of the Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis ,

3306-446: Is released weekly, as opposed to all at once with the release time initially being 12:01 am. PT on Fridays, which lasted from November 15, 2019, to June 25, 2021. With the premiere of Loki , which debuted on June 9, 2021, Disney shifted the release schedule for new original series and new seasons of the respective series to Wednesdays. On December 25, 2020, Soul became the first feature-length film from Pixar to be released as

3420-459: Is subject to the acquisition or expiration of existing streaming rights deals for Disney content. On August 6, 2019, Iger announced that it would offer a streaming bundle of Disney+, ESPN+ and the ad-supported version of Hulu for $ 12.99 per month available at launch. At the D23 Expo in August 2019, Disney opened subscriptions to Disney+ at a discounted rate for three years. On September 12, 2019,

3534-698: The American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Comcast owns the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and 21st Century Fox owned the Fox Broadcasting Company, a full acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney or Comcast would have been illegal under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s rules prohibiting a merger between any of two of the four major broadcast networks. On November 28, while mentioning

Disney Vault - Misplaced Pages Continue

3648-459: The Columbia Pictures division (Spider-Man). On June 16, 2023, The Incredible Hulk was added to Disney+ after the rights to the film reverted to Marvel Studios and Disney from Universal. Some films were modified by Disney: a post-credits scene from Toy Story 2 was edited out; nudity was eliminated from Splash by adding digital hair, blurring and cropping certain scenes, although

3762-910: The European Economic Area . On October 18, 2018, Disney announced a new organizational structure for the Walt Disney Studios and the individual unit heads who would join the company except for Fox's filmed entertainment CEO Stacey Snider , including Emma Watts, Fox 2000 President of Production Elizabeth Gabler, Fox Searchlight Pictures Chairmen Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula. Watts, who served as Vice Chairman and President of production at 20th Century Fox, would stay on in that post. All Fox film production units would report to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn except for Fox Family and 20th Century Fox Animation reporting to Watts and Horn. By March 22, 2019, Fox Family only reports to Watts, with Fox Animation reporting only to Horn. On November 18,

3876-529: The FSN regional sports networks would be included in the sale (assets that would likely be aligned with Disney's ESPN division). On December 11, Comcast announced it was dropping its bid on the Fox assets. On December 14, Disney and Fox confirmed a $ 52.4 billion deal to merge the two companies, pending approval from the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division . In February, CNBC reported that, despite

3990-407: The registration statement for Fox Corporation, was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . On January 11, it was reported that the deal was expected to close by either February or March 2019. However, on January 30, in a SEC filing by Disney, it was reported that the deal was expected to close by June 2019. Iger met with CADE on February 12, 2019, to discuss the deal. However,

4104-522: The Animal Kingdom (a docuseries following the animal caretakers of Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot 's aquarium ) and The World According to Jeff Goldblum . Disney reached a two-year pact with the documentary studio Supper Club ( Brian McGinn , David Gelb and Jason Sterman, producers of Netflix's Chef's Table ) to produce content for the service, including the conservation -themed nature documentary series Earthkeepers , and Marvel's 616 ,

4218-541: The Brazilian Fox Sports, among other measures. The regulator said it coordinated with regulators in Mexico and Chile in evaluating the transaction. Brazil's approval cleared one of the final hurdles, allowing the deal to be completed in March. In March, Disney tweaked Iger's compensation package he would receive upon closing the Disney–Fox deal, removing $ 13.5 million in potential salary and incentive awards available for

4332-697: The Disney Vault", in the words often spoken by longtime Disney trailer voice-over actor Mark Elliott . Some direct-to-video Disney films, among them Bambi II , have also been released with a pre-established window of availability. Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland were among the first movies to be released on home video. Earlier, they were among the first Disney animated films aired on television. They had been chosen to premiere as part of ABC 's Walt Disney's Disneyland in 1954 to promote Disneyland and its two popular rides based on these films. Disney has kept this "tradition" by having them permanently released to

4446-467: The Disney Vault. Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition included the 20th Century Fox film and television studios, U.S. cable channels such as FX , Fox Networks Group , a 73% stake in National Geographic Partners , Indian television broadcaster Star India , and

4560-693: The Disney moniker) and Family Guy (which in the following years after the acquisition would break the fourth wall by making inside jokes on what they were allowed to do now that they were owned by Disney). Talks had stalled for the day without a deal being finalized, but it was reported on November 10 that the prospected deal had yet to be fully abandoned. On November 16, it was reported that Comcast (parent company of NBCUniversal , Xfinity , and Comcast Spectacor ), Verizon Communications , and Sony (parent company of Sony Pictures , Sony Music , and Sony Interactive Entertainment ) had also joined Disney in

4674-546: The Disney-themed competition cooking competition Be Our Chef , Cinema Relics (a documentary series showcasing iconic costume and props from Disney films), Marvel's Hero Project (a series showcasing "inspiring kids [that] have dedicated their lives to selfless acts of bravery and kindness") and The Imagineering Story (a Leslie Iwerks -directed documentary series chronicling the history and work of Walt Disney Imagineering ). National Geographic also produced Magic of

Disney Vault - Misplaced Pages Continue

4788-490: The Disney–Fox deal closed. Hunegs would be president of the subsidiary, with oversight of all operations, including ABC Studios, ABC Signature, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios. He would report to Dana Walden, chairman of Fox Television Group who would be chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment. On October 10, it was reported that the new, post-merger organizational structure of "New Fox" would be implemented by January 1, 2019, ahead of

4902-471: The Disney–Fox deal, Comcast might take action to outbid Disney's $ 52.4 billion offer, if the AT&;T – Time Warner merger went through. Despite this, Fox President Peter Rice stated he was content with Disney's offer and that the Fox assets were "a great fit for Disney." Early in March, the non-profit group Protect Democracy Project Inc. filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on

5016-802: The Fox Family Channel (afterwards rebranded to ABC Family and later Freeform ), Saban Entertainment , and the international Fox Kids cable networks controlled by Fox Family Worldwide, among other assets. The deal would also include 20th Century Fox's film rights to certain third-party franchises, such as X-Men , Deadpool , and Fantastic Four , the distribution rights to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (which were not owned by Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm respectively when Disney acquired those companies), as well as consolidate ownership of other franchises both share such as Home Alone and give Disney access to adult animation with ownership of The Simpsons (which Disney would fully embrace under

5130-516: The Fox assets. On June 20, Disney and Fox announced they had amended their previous merger agreement, upping Disney's offer to $ 71.3 billion (a 10% premium over Comcast's $ 65 billion offer), while also offering shareholders the option of receiving cash instead of stock. On June 21, Murdoch said in response to Disney's higher offer: "We are extremely proud of the businesses we have built at 21st Century Fox, and firmly believe that this combination with Disney will unlock even more value for shareholders as

5244-655: The Fox film library from distribution to theaters (with the notable exception of The Rocky Horror Picture Show ), effectively locking the Fox back-catalog in the Vault. One Disney film that remains vaulted was Song of the South , based on the Uncle Remus stories by folklorist Joel Chandler Harris . The film has neither aired on television nor it ever been released on home video in the United States due to criticism of its portrayal of African Americans . In 2010 and 2020, Iger stated that

5358-476: The Star content hub used internationally. In March 2024, Disney+ debuted an updated teal logo design, which Jess Weatherbed at The Verge believed was preparation for the service's integration with Hulu. The new animated logo for the streamer to serve as its splash screen and to open original series and films was also revealed that same month, with a short orchestral theme composed by Ludwig Göransson . The interface

5472-534: The U.S.-exclusive operations of Fox Sports (which retains cable channels such as FS1 , FS2 , Fox Deportes , and a 61% interest in the Big Ten Network ). Fox Corporation also inherited the Fox studio lot in Century City ; it has leased the lot to Disney for the acquired 21CF assets for licensing until 2026. Disney%2B Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming media service owned and operated by Disney Streaming ,

5586-433: The United States during the pay-one window, with Ron's Gone Wrong being the first film under the deal, becoming available on both Disney+ and HBO Max on December 15, 2021. Disney still has full streaming rights to any 20th Century and Searchlight films produced for Disney+ or Hulu, while the Disney deal with WarnerMedia for streaming 20th Century and Searchlight films on HBO Max ended in 2022, with Disney+ and Hulu assuming

5700-750: The United States, most of the films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe were available at launch, with the exception of seven films: Thor: Ragnarok (added on December 5, 2019), Black Panther (added on March 4, 2020), Avengers: Infinity War (added on June 25, 2020) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (added on August 14, 2020), due to existing licensing deals with Netflix; and The Incredible Hulk , Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home , which were initially unavailable because their distribution rights were initially owned by Universal Pictures ( The Incredible Hulk ) and Sony Pictures through

5814-413: The United States, with that version also expanding to other international territories in 2023. Disney later announced on August 10, 2022, that the ad-supported version of Disney+ launches on December 8, with more than 100 advertisers. Costing US$ 7.99 per month, with the ad free version of Disney+ receiving a price hike of US$ 3. In May 2022, the company reported it gained 7.9 million subscribers over

SECTION 50

#1732844503773

5928-465: The Winter Soldier , Loki , Hawkeye and its spin-off Echo , Moon Knight , Ms. Marvel , She-Hulk: Attorney at Law , Secret Invasion , Ironheart , Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man . Animated Marvel series include What If..? , I Am Groot , X-Men '97 , Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Marvel Zombies . In January 2019, Disney+ ordered Diary of

6042-435: The bundled approach had less subscriber churn than the individual services alone, but that "there may also be certain constraints that we're under that could at least, from a short-term standpoint, limit our ability to do what long term we might feel was ideal, but frankly we don't know what's ideal yet." On March 4, 2022, Disney announced they will plan to launch a low-cost ad -supported version of Disney+ by late 2022 in

6156-504: The chief executive after the company closed its acquisition. Mexico's telecom regulator Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) approved the deal on March 11, 2019, under the condition that Disney agreed to sell the country's Fox Sports within six months. It also had to keep the National Geographic brand separate from its A&E channels. This cleared the last major holdout on the deal. On March 12, 2019, Disney announced it

6270-658: The closure of the Disney sale (which was still expected to occur during the first half of 2019). On October 15, Disney offered a list of concessions to the EC, which extended the review deadline to November 6. On that day, the EC cleared the sale, pursuant to the divestment of certain factual television networks in Europe owned by A&E Networks , a joint venture between Disney and Hearst Communications , including Blaze , Crime & Investigation , History , H2 , and Lifetime . Disney would continue to own 50% of A&E everywhere outside of

6384-426: The company, including Peter Rice , Gary Knell , John Landgraf , and Dana Walden . Rice would serve as Chairman of Walt Disney Television and co-chair of Disney Media Networks, succeeding Ben Sherwood while Walden would be named Chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment. Disney announced on March 5, 2019, Craig Hunegs would lead the combined television operations at Disney Television Studios once

6498-567: The completion of the Disney deal. The deal was officially completed that night. Under the terms of the acquisition, Disney would phase out Fox brand usage by 2024 to avoid consumer confusion in the marketplace. Disney acquired the majority of 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets. These assets included film studios such as 20th Century Fox (rebranded to 20th Century Studios in January 2020), Fox Searchlight Pictures (shortened to Searchlight Pictures that same month), and Fox 2000 Pictures (which

6612-721: The controls that already exist for other regions that have the Star content hub. On December 6, 2023, Disney launched a content hub for Disney+ similar to that of Star, which contains Hulu content for Disney Bundle subscribers in the United States in beta. It is suggested that Disney+ had approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films at launch, including original television series and films from Disney Channel , National Geographic and Freeform , as well as select titles from 20th Television , 20th Television Animation and ABC Signature . New releases from 20th Century Studios would not immediately be available on either Disney+ or Hulu at

6726-439: The deal would concentrate the market of cable sports channels, and CADE recommended remedial measures. On December 13, 2018, Disney announced a new organizational structure for its international operations and the individuals who would join the company, including Jan Koeoppen and Uday Shankar . Shankar, who served as chairman and President of Fox Networks Group Asia and Star India , would lead Disney's Asian operations and become

6840-408: The entire Disney film library, including all of the films that are currently in the " Disney Vault ". However, he stated that the controversial Song of the South (1946), which has never been released on home video in its entirety in the United States, will never be released on the service. Walt Disney Animation Studios ' 1946 film Make Mine Music is not available on the service, possibly due to

6954-601: The entire industry, starting with Fox. On August 12, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the Disney–Fox deal. On September 17, the European Commission (EC) scheduled a merger review for October 19, which was later postponed to November 6. On October 5, Disney announced the commencement of exchange offers and consent solicitations for 21st Century Fox. Disney announced on October 8, 2018, 21st Century Fox's top television executives would join

SECTION 60

#1732844503773

7068-498: The film would not be re-released on either DVD or Disney+. In 2023, Disney announced that it would permanently remove dozens of underperforming films and TV series from its Disney+ and Hulu streaming services, effectively vaulting those productions. Disney incurred a $ 1.5 billion – $ 1.8 billion impairment charge based on the removed titles. This write-down allowed Disney to avoid paying ongoing residuals and reduced its tax bill. The Walt Disney Company itself stated that this process

7182-645: The first six films of the Star Wars franchise would be available in the United States at the service's launch, as TBS held streaming rights through 2024 as part of its cable rights to the franchise, but in April 2019, it was announced that the films would be available at launch along with The Force Awakens and Rogue One , with The Last Jedi being added on December 26, 2019, The Rise of Skywalker being added on May 4 , 2020, and Solo: A Star Wars Story being added on July 10, 2020. On April 2, 2021, several older Star Wars spin-offs were released. In

7296-537: The first three months of 2022. In August 2022, it was announced that the combined total of subscribers across all Disney streaming platforms including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ had surpassed Netflix with roughly 221 million. In January 2023, Disney+ received its first Academy Award nomination, for the Italian film Le pupille in the Best Live Action Short Film category. In February 2023, Disney reported

7410-511: The former Saban Entertainment , Blue Sky Studios and Hollywood Pictures . The service operates alongside Hulu , which Disney gained a controlling stake in following the 21st Century Fox purchase. Bob Iger stated that at launch, Disney+ would focus on family-oriented entertainment (not carrying any content rated R , NC-17 or TV-MA ) and that Hulu would continue to host general entertainment; Hulu also hosts Disney+ as an add-on service. Content intended for mature audiences (R and TV-MA)

7524-469: The full pay-one rights to films released after 2022. On September 3, 2024, ABC News Live was added to Disney+ as a continuous playlist, alongside a continuous Disney+ Playtime preschool playlist. The service's initial original content goal was planned to include four to five original films and five television shows with budgets from $ 25–100 million. In January 2019, it was reported that Disney would spend up to $ 500 million in original content for

7638-527: The hopes to seek any records of communications between the two groups over Disney's pending acquisition of Fox. The lawsuit also sought "any related antitrust enforcement efforts by the DOJ, to find out whether the president or his administration is improperly interfering with the independence of the DOJ out of favoritism for a political ally." Donald Trump congratulated Murdoch for the Disney–Fox deal while attacking AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner, particularly over

7752-456: The initial decision to remove Howard , the documentary on the life of songwriter Howard Ashman , on the eve of Pride Month and the release of the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid . However, it was confirmed the next day that the film will remain available on the service. On July 1, more original films and series were removed globally, including Crater , which was released seven weeks prior. However, on September 26, 2023, it

7866-519: The issues were due to third party devices. On November 18, 2019, an investigation by ZDNet discovered that thousands of users' accounts were hacked using keystroke logging or info-stealing malware . Their email addresses and passwords were changed, "effectively taking over the account and locking the previous owner out", and their login information was put up for sale on the dark web . On March 12, 2020, Vanessa Morrison, who previously served as President of Fox Family and 20th Century Animation ,

7980-613: The new Chairman of Disney India . By December 14, the merger was subjected to regulation in Mexico, where Disney/Fox would account for 27.8% of content distribution across all genres. Disney would own 73% of all sports channels in Mexico. On January 31, Mexico's Federal Commission of Economic Competition (COFECE) approved the Disney–Fox deal after Disney agreed to sell its part in the Mexican distribution joint venture, Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing de México, to Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group . On January 7, 2019,

8094-418: The new Disney continues to set the pace at a dynamic time for our industry." That still would not have prevented other companies from making a bid, as the deal still needed to be voted on by shareholders. Iger explained the reasoning behind the bid: "Direct-to-consumer distribution has actually become an even more compelling proposition in the six months since we announced the deal. There has just been not only

8208-510: The new unit. First, Disney needed to verify exactly what content could be physically and legally made available through a streaming service right away, which meant physically reviewing all content in Disney's vaults that had not recently undergone restoration , and reviewing "binders of pieces of paper with legal deals" to identify potential obstacles. Second, Chu met with leaders of Disney's various content-producing divisions to start brainstorming which projects would be appropriate for release on

8322-561: The official name for "New Fox" was revealed to be " Fox Corporation ." On November 19, regulators in China approved the Disney–Fox deal, without any conditions. After obtaining approval from Chinese regulators, Disney said it still needed to obtain regulatory approval from several other regulators, though the approvals from the United States, European Union, and China were considered the most important hurdles to clear. On December 3, Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) said

8436-515: The original uncensored theatrical version was restored to the service in 4K in November 2022; films such as Adventures in Babysitting , Free Solo and Hamilton are altered to remove profanities; The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967) was edited to remove racial slurs , and the short film Santa's Workshop (1932) was edited to remove a " stereotypical black doll". Some older content, such as films, animated shorts and series, have

8550-417: The ownership of CNN , which he frequently criticized due to alleged bias. On April 12, 2018, Rice revealed the acquisition was expected to close by summer 2019. Beginning in March 2018, a strategic reorganization of the Disney conglomerate saw the creation of two business segments, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International . Parks & Consumer Products

8664-663: The previous year. In late 2015, Disney launched a streaming service in the United Kingdom called DisneyLife to test the streaming market. It was later launched in the Philippines on May 25, 2018. The UK version was replaced by Disney+ on March 24, 2020, while discontinued in the Philippines on April 1 that year. In August 2016, Disney acquired a minority stake in BAMTech (a spin-off of MLB Advanced Media 's streaming technology business) for $ 1 billion, with an option to acquire

8778-438: The public. Disney has never vaulted these two films because they have become so saturated in the market that vaulting them would have been meaningless. Nonetheless, they have been very successful on home video, in their own right. Near the end of the 2000s, they were announced on both Platinum and Diamond editions. They were only released on a special edition with similar marketing to the Disney Vault movies. In 2016, Disney released

8892-701: The reissue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1944. During the 1980s, when the home video market was dominated by VHS systems, Disney films would be reissued every ten years, a time gap equal to that of their theatrical reissues. The moratorium period was continued with the evolution of home media delivery mechanisms, including DVD, Blu-ray, and digital streaming, which Disney itself mainly markets through its own Movies Anywhere initiative. Television commercials for Disney home video releases will alert customers that certain films will be placed on moratorium soon, urging them to purchase these films before they "go back into

9006-450: The reorganization done in expectation of the 21st Century Fox purchase. On May 7, 2018, it was reported that Comcast spoke to investment banks about topping Disney's offer to acquire Fox. Shortly afterwards, Iger stated he was willing to drop Sky plc from the deal to ensure the Fox acquisition. Several Fox investors said they would be open to terminate the company's agreement with Disney if Comcast followed through on its plan to launch

9120-425: The sale of Fox's properties to Disney. On July 9, a Fox shareholder filed a lawsuit to stop the acquisition from Disney, citing the absence of financial projections for Hulu. On the same day, CNBC reported Comcast was looking for companies that could take over Fox's Regional Sports Networks. The shareholder claimed that would've made Comcast's antitrust problems regarding the takeover of Fox assets easier as Comcast

9234-467: The saturation in the market prevented the films from producing the same financial advantages of the other films. With the release of the Signature Collection in 2016, Disney released three movies per year instead of two. By 2022, all of the films that were vaulted had been fully released. When Disney's streaming service and namesake Disney+ was announced in 2019, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that

9348-412: The senior vice president and general manager, reporting to BAMTech CEO Michael Paull, who leads development. In March 2018, Disney's top level segment division was reorganized with the formation of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, which then included BAMTech, which contains "all consumer-facing tech and products". In June of the same year, longtime Disney studio marketing chief, Ricky Strauss,

9462-571: The series. Love, Victor , a spin-off of the film Love, Simon , was similarly shifted from Disney+ to Hulu in February 2020. In August 2019, Iger announced that 20th Century Fox properties such as Home Alone , Night at the Museum , Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Cheaper by the Dozen will be "'reimagined' for 'a new generation'" exclusively for Disney+ by Fox Family . Most original episodic content

9576-554: The service would be named Disney+ and that the company was targeting a launch in late 2019. A September launch was reportedly planned, but on April 11, 2019, Disney announced that Disney+ would launch on November 12, 2019, in the United States. Disney stated that it planned to roll the service out worldwide over the next two years, targeting Western Europe and Asia-Pacific countries by late 2019 and early 2020, and Eastern Europe and Latin America during 2020. The timing of international launches

9690-425: The service would contain Disney's entire film library, which would de facto retire the concept of the Disney Vault as a home video control device. However, the service fails to include much of Disney's library, and a separate practice restricting repertory screenings of films from the Disney back-catalogue remains in effect. Following Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox for its entertainment assets, Disney withdrew

9804-410: The service's content curation and marketing efforts, left the company. In March 2021, Disney announced an increase to the streaming service's pricing that would take place on March 26, 2021. In the second quarter of 2021, Disney+ added 8.7 million subscribers. In August 2021, Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested that, eventually, Disney+ could be merged with Hulu (as in other markets), citing that

9918-554: The service. Original series based on Star Wars and Marvel properties have been or are being produced. Original Star Wars series include The Mandalorian and its spin-offs The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka , a seventh season of the animated The Clone Wars (and a spin-off series titled The Bad Batch ), as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi , Andor , Skeleton Crew , The Acolyte and Lando . Original Marvel series include WandaVision and its spin-offs Agatha: Darkhold Diaries and Vision Quest , The Falcon and

10032-414: The service. This comes after Westmoreland had tried to arrange a sexual encounter with a minor in 2018, which led to his conviction. On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached a deal to amend the pre-existing deal HBO had with 21st Century Fox to allow Disney+ or Hulu and HBO Max to share the streaming rights to half of 20th Century Studios' and Searchlight Pictures' 2022 theatrical slate in

10146-415: The start, as the studio had pre-existing output deals with other premium TV and streaming providers (including HBO in the United States until 2022, Crave in Canada and Sky in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Germany). Captain Marvel , Dumbo (2019) and Avengers: Endgame became the first theatrically released Disney films to stream exclusively on Disney+ within the pay-cable window. It

10260-657: The streaming division of Disney Entertainment , a major business segment of the Walt Disney Company . The service primarily distributes films and television shows produced by Walt Disney Studios and Disney Television Studios , with dedicated content hubs for Disney's flagship brands; Disney , Pixar , Marvel , Star Wars , National Geographic , ESPN (Latin America and Caribbean only), Hulu (U.S. only) and Star (outside U.S.), as well as showcasing original and exclusive films and television shows . Disney+ relies on technology developed by Disney Streaming, which

10374-444: The streaming service's library. Additionally, as 20th Century Fox was the last major studio from the studio era to be acquired when Rupert Murdoch took full control in 1985, its film library was largely intact relative to its peers from that era such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The two companies had done business in 2001, when Disney acquired Fox Family Worldwide from the original incarnation of News Corporation , which included

10488-465: The team at Disney and commend the Murdoch family and Fox for creating such a desirable and respected company." On July 25, 2018, TCI Fund Management , the second largest shareholder of 21st Century Fox, indicated it voted to approve the Disney–Fox deal. On July 27, Disney and Fox shareholders approved the merger between the two companies. There were reports on August 9 that Viacom CEO Bob Bakish wanted to license its television ad targeting tech to

10602-553: The titles were still available to view on regular profiles. X-Men: Days of Future Past , which was released by 20th Century Fox on May 23, 2014, contains both nudity and the word " fuck ", began airing uncensored in mid-2020. Some series are missing episodes, including Darkwing Duck , The Little Mermaid , The Proud Family , Phineas and Ferb , Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends , The Muppet Show , and The Simpsons , among other programs. All episodes featuring Stoney Westmoreland on Andi Mack are banned from

10716-514: The two most prominent proxy adviser firms in the world. Fox shareholders were recommended by the advisers as means to provide for Disney's future. On July 16, CNBC reported Comcast was unlikely to continue its bidding war with Disney to acquire Fox. Instead, Comcast would likely continue pursuing the 61% stake of Sky. On July 19, Comcast officially announced it was dropping its bid on the Fox assets in order to focus on its bid for Sky. CEO Brian L. Roberts said "I'd like to congratulate Bob Iger and

10830-399: Was also reported that Disney would ban advertisements for competitor Netflix from most of its TV platforms, except ESPN. Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019, Midnight Pacific Time in the three initial launch countries. The services had some issues the first day with logging in (about 33% of the problems), accessing specific content (about 66%), setting up profiles and watch lists. Some of

10944-624: Was also updated to match the new teal color scheme, which was dubbed "Aurora" as an homage to Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty (1959). On March 27, 2024, the Hulu content hub officially exited beta. Likewise, as a consequence of this, The Walt Disney Company Latin America announced in December that the Star+ platform available in Latin America would be discontinued in that region to later be merged as

11058-404: Was announced that Disney+ would add the first 30 seasons of The Simpsons to the service at launch, as the series' new exclusive home, with season 31 being added on October 2, 2020, season 32 being added on September 29, 2021, and season 33 being added on October 5, 2022, in the United States. Season 34 was added to the service on October 11, 2023. Iger said that Disney+ will eventually host

11172-421: Was appointed President of Streaming for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production and currently oversees the development and production of Disney+ film content from The Walt Disney Studios for both Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios . Morrison reports directly to President of Walt Disney Pictures Sean Bailey . On October 12, 2020, Disney announced a reorganization of their media business with

11286-666: Was confirmed that Lachlan Murdoch , rather than James Murdoch , would take charge of the new company tentatively known as " New Fox ". The following week, Comcast publicly announced it was looking into making an all-cash counter-offer for the Fox assets that Disney proposed to acquire. Shortly after, it was reported that Disney was looking into making its own all-cash counter-offer for Fox assets if Comcast went through with their offer. The next day, Disney and Fox announced they had set their shareholder vote meetings for July 10, although both said Fox's meeting could be postponed if Comcast came through with their offer. On June 12, AT&T

11400-404: Was criticized for technical problems and missing content. Alterations made to films and television shows also attracted media attention. Ten million users had subscribed to Disney+ by the end of its first day of operation. In the third quarter of 2024, the number of global Disney+ subscribers amounted to 153.8 million. This marked a growth of around seven million compared with the same quarter of

11514-523: Was done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children. A side-effect of the moratorium process was that videos and DVDs of Disney films placed on moratorium become collectibles, sold in stores and at auction websites such as eBay for sums in excess of their original suggested retail price. The practice had also made the Disney films a prime target for bootleg DVD manufacturers. The following films were considered to be subject to release and later return to

11628-729: Was formed on June 28, 2013 by splitting of entertainment and media properties from News Corporation and founded by Rupert Murdoch . It formally began trading on NASDAQ and the Australian Securities Exchange on July 1, 2013, with its executives including Rupert Murdoch being chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, while Chase Carey took the posts of president and chief operating officer , with co-chairman and co-CEO positions were created in 2014 and later filled by Lachlan Murdoch and James Murdoch , respectively, both sons of Rupert Murdoch. On November 6, 2017, CNBC reported The Walt Disney Company

11742-459: Was given approval by District Judge Richard J. Leon to acquire Time Warner, easing concerns Comcast had regarding whether government regulators would block their bid for Fox. Consequently, the next day, Comcast mounted a bid of $ 65 billion for the 21st Century Fox assets that were set to be acquired by Disney. On June 18, it was reported that Disney would upgrade its already-existing $ 52 billion claim to contest Comcast's proposed counter-offer for

11856-399: Was inherited and got retooled as a content platform within the service in some regions, with Latin America having its own standalone service, Star+ , until June 26 and July 24, 2024. With BAMTech helping to launch ESPN+ in early 2018, and Disney's streaming distribution deal with Netflix ending in 2019, Disney took the opportunity to use technologies being developed for ESPN+ to establish

11970-586: Was later added to the service, including the Disney+ original The Beatles: Get Back (2021), which includes a content warning , and the Marvel series produced for Netflix , all of which are rated TV-MA. With the addition of the Marvel Netflix series in March 2022, revised parental controls were introduced to the service in the United States to allow the more mature content of the series to be added, similarly to

12084-611: Was named president of content and marketing, however reporting to chairman of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Kevin Mayer. In January 2019, Fox Television Group COO Joe Earley was named executive vice president of marketing and operations. In June 2019, Matt Brodlie was named as senior vice president of international content development. In August 2019, Luke Bradley-Jones was hired as senior vice president of direct to consumer and general manager of Disney+ for Europe and Africa. On November 8, 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that

12198-485: Was negotiating a deal with Rupert Murdoch to acquire 21st Century Fox 's filmed entertainment, cable entertainment, and direct broadcast satellite divisions, including 20th Century Fox , FX Networks , and National Geographic Partners . The deal would reportedly exclude the Fox Broadcasting Company , 20th Century Fox's studio lot (which is currently leased to Disney for seven years), Fox Television Stations , Fox News Group, and Fox Sports , which would be spun off into

12312-408: Was originally established as BAMTech in 2015 when it was spun off from MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM). Disney increased its ownership share of BAMTech to a controlling stake in 2017 and subsequently transferred ownership to Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International , as part of a corporate restructuring in anticipation of Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox , through which the Star brand

12426-536: Was preparing to make a new all cash counter-offer before July 27, 2018. On July 12, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal with the D.C. Circuit to reverse the District Court's approval for AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner (which became WarnerMedia shortly afterward). Analysts said the chances of a victory by the DOJ were small, but would be the "final nail in the coffin for Comcast's Fox chase. This

12540-438: Was primarily a merger of Parks & Resorts and Consumer Products & Interactive Media, while Direct-to-Consumer & International took over for Disney International and global sales, distribution, and streaming units from Disney–ABC Television Group , Studio Entertainment, and Disney Digital Network . Given that Iger described it as "strategically positioning our businesses for the future", The New York Times considered

12654-511: Was rebranded as Disney+ Hotstar . Additional European countries received Disney+ in September 2020, with the service expanding to Latin America in November 2020. It later expanded in Southeast Asian countries since 2021, followed by countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, Middle East and parts of Africa since May 2022. Upon launch, it was met with positive reception of its content library, but

12768-415: Was revealed that six of the removed original films: Crater , Better Nate Than Ever , Flora & Ulysses , The One And Only Ivan , Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made and the 2022 remake of Cheaper by the Dozen were released for purchase on multiple digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video , iTunes , Vudu and Google Play , a move that some considered as historic and unconventional for

12882-421: Was set to close the Fox deal in seven days. Fox Corporation officially became a standalone, publicly traded company separate from 21st Century Fox on March 19, 2019, making Fox Corporation the owner of the assets that were not acquired by Disney. The announcement also included the appointment of the board of directors. Also on March 19, 21st Century Fox officially completed distribution of new Fox shares ahead of

12996-473: Was shut down on May 14, 2021); television production units 20th Century Fox Television (became 20th Television in August 2020) and Fox 21 Television Studios (renamed to the second Touchstone Television that same month before being folded into 20th Television in December 2020); the international cable operations of Fox Networks Group (the U.S. operations, which included FX Networks , merged with Disney–ABC Television Group to form Walt Disney Television );

#772227