Disney signs deal with Sony to bring 'Spider-Man', other films to Disney Plus
Walt Disney Co. and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced a multi-year content licensing agreement that will bring the latter's vast streaming portfolio to Disney-owned platforms including Disney Plus and Hulu.
Under the agreement, Disney will get access to Sony Picture's "significant number" of iconic library titles including franchises like Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania as well as Marvel properties such as Spider-Man. Additionally, the deal also covers Sony's new theatrical releases starting next year through 2026.
"This gives Disney enormous programming potential across its platforms and makes them key destinations for a robust collection of Spider-Man films. Notably, the agreement provides Hulu access to a significant number of library titles beginning as early as this June," the statement read.
As The Verge pointed out, the agreement means that Sony's new films from 2022-2026 will first debut in theaters and will move to Disney's platforms after their time on Netflix.
To recall, Sony also struck a multiyear, exclusive first pay window with Netflix, which grants the streaming giant access to the studio's feature films beginning 2022. Under the agreement, Netflix will obtain first pay window rights to Sony films following their theatrical and home entertainment windows.
The Netflix-Sony deal covers upcoming tentpoles such as Morbius, Uncharted, Where the Crawdads Sing, and Bullet Train, followed by future installments of Spider-Man, Venom, Jumanji, and Bad Boys.
“This landmark multi-year, platform agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels,” said Chuck Saftler, head of Business Operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks, and Acquisitions in DMED’s Networks division. “This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences.”
Meanwhile, Keith Le Goy, president of worldwide distribution and networks for Sony Pictures Entertainment, said that the "groundbreaking" agreement "cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners."
(Images from IMDB)