Disney+ downloads will disappear from devices if a title is pulled from the service
0Reported today in The Verge.
Disney+ downloads will disappear from devices if a title is pulled from the service
Disney will offer Disney+ subscribers the ability to download films and TV shows on the streaming service for offline viewing, but if those titles were to leave, so go the downloads.
Multiple news outlets have reported that even if select titles get taken off the service, subscribers who have those same titles already downloaded will be able to keep them. The reports were based on remarks made by Disney CEO Bob Iger at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit. Iger hinted at preexisting contract issues that could result in titles leaving the service in the coming years, but he reiterated that “by and large, almost all of it will be there.”
“If you’re a subscriber, you can download it and put it on a device, and it will stay on the device as long as you continue to subscribe,” Iger said. “If you wanted to download 10 classic Disney films that may not have all been available at once before, you can do that, basically fill all of your hard drive on one of your devices, and you or your child can watch wherever they are.”
A Disney representative told The Verge that Iger’s remarks were misconstrued. As long as titles are on Disney+, they’re available for download. Once those movies and TV shows leave the service, they won’t be available as downloads, the representative confirmed. Iger was mainly speaking to Disney+ subscribers’ ability to download a number of popular films and TV series from the Disney vault that were previously unavailable.
This isn’t something that people will have to worry about for quite some time. Due to earlier contracts between Disney and Netflix, some titles may end up on Netflix again, according to Bloomberg. An earlier deal between Disney and Netflix could result in movies that are exclusive on Disney+ in 2020 heading to Netflix in 2026. There’s always a chance that Disney could work out a deal with Netflix within that timeframe that would allow movies to remain on Disney+, too.
Disney first announced that it was pulling its titles from Netflix in August 2017, just a few years after the companies signed a nine-figure deal allowing Netflix to carry new Disney movies. Disney’s live-action and animated titles will leave Netflix by January 1st, 2020, just a couple of months after Disney+ launches.
Disney+ will launch on November 12th for $6.99 a month. Customers can also purchase a one-year plan for $69.99. Disney is offering a bundle with sports streaming service ESPN+ and ad-supported Hulu for $12.99 a month, rivaling Netflix’s most popular subscription plan.