Disney has established a massive licensing pact with Sony Pictures for the United States, which promises to bring Spider-Man and other Marvel properties to Disney Plus, starting with Sony’s 2022 release.
The broad agreement, which runs through Sony’s 2026 theatrical picture, also calls for Sony titles to be streamed on Disney’s range of streaming and linear platforms, making it unprecedented in coverage as it covers Disney Plus, Hulu , FX Networks, ABC, Disney Channels and Freeform. It also includes a significant number of library titles that will be distributed at various outlets.
The deal follows Sony’s production deal with Netflix for the titles in the lucrative post-theatrical launch window Pay 1. The Disney deal covers subsequent TV windows, which means the titles will first hit Netflix, about nine months after the start. theatrical performance of a film. Disney collects pre-reserved windows for cable and ad serving for multiple platforms. The Netflix and Disney agreements also run for the same license term.
Like the Netflix deal, the Disney pact only covers the US market, despite global streaming coverage. The complex deal will likely be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Sony during the transaction, which lasts about six years in total, given the delayed time for Disney to have access to movies. With Netflix and Disney combined, Sony is expected to earn about $ 3 billion in film licenses throughout its transactions.
The complex deal was debated by Chuck Saftler, head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networking and Procurement for Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution and Keith Le Goy, president of global distribution and networking for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The agreement marks another example of the entertainment industry reconditioning its business models to adapt to a new era of TV exhibition and distribution.
“This multi-year, platform-agnostic agreement guarantees the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution team an extraordinary amount of flexibility and a wide range of programming possibilities to benefit from Sony. a rich list of action and family films awarded through our direct services to consumers and its linear channels, ”said Chuck Saftler, head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX networks and Disney media and entertainment procurement. “This is a win for the fans, who will benefit the ability to access the best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios, on a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences. ”
Le Goy noted that the deal was “revolutionary” and reflected the studio’s focus on distributing its films as widely as possible.
“This revolutionary agreement reaffirms the unique and enduring value of our films for film lovers and the platforms and networks that serve them,” said Le Goy. “We are excited to team up with Disney to deliver our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of our movies by making them available to consumers in all windows, with a wide range of key partners. ”