Netflix Inc. and The Walt Disney Co. are in “active discussions” over the streaming rights of Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ movies after 2019. Disney announced on Tuesday that starting in 2019, all Disney and Pixar films will no longer be available on Netflix, since the company will be implementing its own, Disney-branded online streaming service.
However, Disney Chief Executive Office, Bob Iger, has disclosed that the company has not yet decided if Netflix, another streaming company, or The Walt Disney Co. will retain the rights for Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm movies–both of which are currently owned by Disney.
Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix, told Reuters that they are still in “active discussions” with Disney to retain the rights to these movies. Sarandos said that Disney’s streaming service is a “natural evolution” for the company and that Netflix expected this progression. “That’s why we got into the originals business five years ago,” Sarandos explained, “anticipating it may be not as easy a conversation with studios and networks.”
He also stated that he expects the new Disney streaming service will be “complementary” to Netflix’s other family titles from Illumination Entertainment and DreamWorks Animation.
[Source: Reuters]
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