Just a few weeks ago, Sony Pictures entered into an agreement with Netflix on streaming rights exclusively for its theatrical streaming releases starting in 2022, as well as catalog titles and some new originals that the team will produce. Now, Disney has also announced a licensing agreement with Sony Pictures for movie releases between 2022 and 2026, as well as the number of its older titles in the catalog.
So what happens? The Netflix agreement provides exclusive US rights for the period after the release of movies and Blu-ray / video on demand, about nine months after they hit theaters. The Disney deal begins after that, for the window in which movies usually run on cable TV or broadcast ad networks (as Deadline mentions, this transaction follows a similar one that Sony had with the FX network now owned by Disney).
In addition to new movies, the deal also provides streaming rights for older movies, including Spider-Man movies that were missing from the Disney + MCU set and even Into the Spider-Verse (after their Netflix exclusivity expired) . In addition to Disney + and the company’s various cable networks, it also covers Hulu, and a note in the press release will add a “significant number of library titles” starting in June.
It is not known how much money will change hands, but Sony Pictures executive Keith Le Goy said in a statement that “This agreement cements a key part of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of the films. Our realizing they are available to consumers in all windows with a wide range of key partners. “
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