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Disney Switching To Netflix For Exclusive Film Distribution

An anonymous reader writes "When Disney films leave the theater and head for TV, they currently go through the Starz channel first. That's going to change in 2016. Disney has signed a deal to give Netflix the first crack at its animated and live-action films. Even if you're not a fan of either company, this is a bit of a big deal; Disney is ditching a traditional pay-TV service in favor of online streaming. (It also includes properties from the recent Lucasfilm deal.) The article wisely points out that pay-TV in general isn't in danger until the live sports situation changes, but this is a big step away from the status quo."

6 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. 2016? by purpledinoz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's eons away in the context of consumer electronics. By that time, they might be the last one switching to online streaming.

  2. Netflix vs. Starz ... by jabberwock · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Netflix: $1.5 billion in revenues in 2011 and growing.

    Starz: $1.6 billion in revenues in 2011 and relatively stagnant.

    Pretty much explains why.

  3. Re:A Positive Move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Unfortunately, that's not how it works. It's grab the big bucks for an exclusive deal with one content distributor and F*** the people who aren't with that one. Other studios will get their big bucks from another distributor, so the only way consumers can have it all, is to pay for Netflix, LoveFilm (do they have that in the US?) etc.

    Then, of course, they wonder why the Pirate Bay was popular?
    Maybe it's because they have content from everyone, not to mention, in a format that plays on anything.

  4. Re:Dear Netflix: don't jack up rates by Seumas · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No we won't. I pay $8 a month for unlimited viewing of a ridiculous amount of content. If they could add even more (and recent) content to that, it'd be worth a lot more. I currently pay $13/mo for most of my entertainment ($8 for Netflix and $5 for MOG, where I get my unlimited music). Netflix is a steal at $8. It'd be a deal at $16. It'd be fair (but starting to push it) at $24/mo.

  5. Re:Dear Netflix: don't jack up rates by Rockoon · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here I was thinking the opposite.

    It is getting harder and harder to find things that I actually want to watch on Netflix. To add to this, I decided to try and watch some classic dystopian movies that I either havent seen in a long time or have not seen as of yet. So I went to wikipedia to get a nice list of dystopian movies. Of the earliest made movies in that list, 16 of the first 20 (80%) are NOT available on netflix streaming:

    La jetee (1962), The Trial (1962), Privilege (1967), Punishment Park (1971), THX 1138 (1971), Silent Running (1972), Z.P.G. (1972), Sleeper (1973), Soylent Green (1973), Welt am Draht (1973), Death Race 2000 (1975), Logan's Run (1976), Sleeping Dogs (1977), Escape from New York (1981), Blade Runner (1982), Turkey Shoot (1982)

    I know that a few of these used to be available but now no longer are, such as Blade Runner and Escape from New York.

    This is not the service that I wanted.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."
  6. Re:Dear Netflix: don't jack up rates by westlake · · Score: 5, Informative

    Don't jack up rates to pay those Disney people. We'll just move elsewhere

    The cellar-dweller lives.

    The Disney brand name has been a marketing powerhouse since the 1920s.

    Disney and Warner Brothers were the first of the major studios to make the move into television production --- jump-starting the infant ABC television network: Disneyland and Davy Crockett. The Mickey Mouse Club. Zorro.

    Disney's move to NBC and full color production was headline news and an enormous driver of sales of color television sets.

    Disney was reluctant to move into home video --- but when it did move it came in with all guns blazing. It remains a safe bet that the Disney feature will reach the top ten lists in video sales and rentals through any all distribution channels, no matter how well or how poorly it performed in the theatrical market.

    Disney through acqusitions is Marvel Comics.

    ESPN. Rocky and Bullwinkle. The Muppets. LucasFilms....