New Agreement Will See Disney+ Favorites Simultaneously Streaming on Netflix

A new licensing agreement will see some Disney+ favorites arrive on Netflix, while still being available to watch on Disney+.

What's Happening:

• Disney and Netflix have entered into an expansive licensing agreement that will bring many library and current-season Disney and Disney+ titles to Netflix on a non-exclusive basis.
• The news comes from Variety, which points out that this strategy is not just to monetize their own content on multiple streamers, but also to drum up interest in upcoming releases.
• This isn't just limited to more archival or library titles either. For example, the Disney+ original series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, will be available on Netflix globally beginning on October 4. This is part of a three-month promotional window in advance of the Season 3 premiere on Disney+ on November 20.
• In that same vein, also starting on October 4, all five of 20th Century's Ice Age movies will be available on Netflix worldwide, in a separate promotional push ahead of the sixth film, Ice Age: Boiling Point arriving in theaters on February 5, 2027.
• Disney-owned 20th Television has three current series that will also arrive on Netflix, with seasons 1-4 of Will Trent and seasons 1 and 2 of Shifting Gears (December 1) hitting the streamer globally on November 3 and December 1, respectively. Tracker (which airs stateside on CBS) seasons 1-3 will be on Netflix outside of the U.S. as part of a multi-year term, arriving in Feb of 2027.
• Will Trent is timed appropriately to debut ahead of the season 5 premiere on ABC in early 2027, with Shifting Gears arriving also ahead of their season 3 premiere on ABC on January 7, 2027.
• High-profile movie titles from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar that are non-franchised will also hit Netflix in early 2027. These include films like Soul, Elio, Raya and the Last Dragon, and more, that will be available to stream on Netflix globally, though title availability and launch dates will vary by region.
• More classic library series are also part of the deal, including Felicity (arriving in the U.S. on October 7), Revenge, Fresh Off the Boat, and This Is Us. These join other licensed titles like Grey's Anatomy, Arrested Development, and Scandal.
• The deal seems great for both streamers, as Disney gets to generate millions in revenue by licensing the titles, while Netflix adds more content offerings.
• Additionally - and perhaps most importantly depending on who you ask - the nonexclusive aspect of the agreement keeps those previously exclusive to Disney+ and Hulu titles like Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Ice Age movies will still be available on Disney+ and Hulu, while also available on Netflix.

In The Past:

• Prior to the launch of Disney+ in 2019, Netflix was once the de facto place to go to stream Disney content.
• In the 2010s, Disney was still largely a traditional media company where movies went to theaters, then physical media, followed by television airings and premium cable broadcasts. At the same time, Netflix was moving to streaming from the original DVD-by-mail strategy.
• At the time, their interests would be complementary to each other, and in December of 2012, Disney and Netflix announced a major U.S. agreement that would see Netflix become the exclusive U.S. subscription streaming home for Disney's newer theatrical movies.
• So by 2017, a Netflix subscriber could theoretically be watching Moana, Zootopia, Finding Dory, Marvel's Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, and countless more.
• However, it was in 2017 that Disney announced they would end their Netflix agreement and create their own branded streaming experience, expected to launch in 2019.
• So there was a period in time in which Disney was building their own streamer while simultaneously helping what would become one of their biggest competitors, while still making a bit of revenue that was sacrificed at the launch of Disney+.