Disney devotees will no longer have to eagerly await the limited release of classics like “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” because those rare gems will now be readily available via streaming.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced this week that the company’s forthcoming Disney+ streaming service will arrive soon and include the “entire Disney motion picture library,” TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez reported Friday. The service will launch later this year and will feature a combination of movies that would be placed on moratorium (Disney vault), other Disney film and television programs, and original programming, Iger said.
“At some point fairly soon after launch, it will house the entire Disney motion picture library, so the movies that you speak of that traditionally have been kept in a vault and brought out basically every few years will be on the service,” Iger said.
For decades, fans relied on Disney's limited-time releases of its films on DVD and Blu-ray. That marketing strategy often got consumers to snatch up rare titles — like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Peter Pan" and "101 Dalmations" — to build their video collections. Now, Disney will gather that same revenue and fandom via the subscription model.
The business move makes sense at a time when audiences prefer an on-demand, internet-based model versus the nostalgic practice of popping in a DVD, according to Brian Raftery, a columnist for Fortune.
"The market for physical media like DVD and Blu-Rays has been decimated in recent years, as consumers have opted for subscriptions to streaming video services instead," he wrote in a column Thursday. "Disney's new plan will likely make its Disney+ streaming service, set to debut this fall, even more appealing to parents and die-hards."
Disney ended its relationship with Netflix, which had streamed Disney films for years, in 2018.
Fans chimed in about the announcement this week on Twitter, with many applauding the opportunity to stream their faves.
Though Iger confirmed the streaming service will launch later this year, there’s not a set date for the release.
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