The UK broadcaster Sky has agreed a multi-year deal with Disney that will see its Disney+ service become available in the United Kingdom and Ireland via the Sky Q platform, while Sky’s SVOD service Now TV will start offering the streamer “in the coming months”.
Disney+, which will be available for £5.99 (€6.90) per month, is due to go live in the UK and Ireland as a standalone direct-to-consumer offering on March 24. The deal will provide Sky customers access to new shows such as “The Mandalorian,” “High School Musical,” and “The World According To Jeff Goldblum”.
Further deals with other pay platforms such as BT now look likely, although the content offering available via Disney+ remains unclear. Shows such as “The Simpsons” will remain available on both Disney+ and Sky as part of a co-exclusive arrangement for around a year because of existing licence deals, according to TBI.
The new deal also includes the first-pay window for 20th Century titles, meaning Sky Cinema customers will continue to have access to movies including “Le Mans ’66” and “Terminator: Dark Fate”.
“We’ve built a strong partnership with Disney over three decades and we’re pleased that our customers in the UK and Ireland can continue to enjoy their world-class content – all in one place on Sky Q,” said Jeremy Darroch, CEO of Sky. “This is a great start to what is set to be another stellar year for Sky. In 2020 we’ll launch new channels and genres, start building Sky Studios Elstree and we’ve got brilliant new and returning originals coming too,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kevin Mayer, Chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International, commented: “We are delighted that Sky is selling the Disney+ service on their platform and, along with our other distribution partners, will deliver exceptional reach at launch”.
We’re pleased that our customers in the UK and Ireland can continue to enjoy their world-class content – all in one place on Sky Q” Jeremy Darroch CEO of Sky
