Disney’s Star Wars streaming setbacks

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Disney will stream future Star Wars films and TV Series exclusively on their own streaming service starting in 2019.

Story by Joel Huntebrinker, Editor/Reporter

In a world chock full of streaming services, Disney is planning to go into the fray in late 2019. One problem- it will only have post 2019 Star Wars on their new streaming service until 2024.

“Marketing will make it clear but Star Wars movies that come out in 2019 or later, you’ll find them there.” said Disney CEO Bob Iger in an interview with Variety.

Disney will not be able to stream the original six Star Wars movie until 2024. Any movies they made before 2019 are on Netflix.

After Disney bought the Star Wars license for four billion dollars in 2012 they sold the rights to broadcast the original six movies to Turner Broadcast. Star Wars movies that Disney has made went to Netflix.

Right now Disney does not seem interested in buying back the rights to stream their movies from Netflix, though they are trying, and failing, to buy back the rights to the original six films from Turner Broadcast.

They will get the original six Star Wars movies in 2024 when the contract expires.

With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, Sling TV, CBS All Access, DirecTV NOW, and even Youtube TV dividing the market into smaller pieces, it’s no surprise Disney wants a slice of the pie while it’s hot.

With their wealth of movies and tv shows, on top of content from Marvel, Pixar, and potentially 21st Century Fox, it may not be drastic to lose Star Wars. But it is an inconvenience for fans.

Turner Broadcast has no streaming service and Netflix has the Disney movies for now. Things would be far easier if Disney maintained the rights. In 2012 streaming was hiding it’s stride and truly growing as a market through Netflix.

Streaming would be the cheapest and most convenient way to watch the Star Wars movies in HD. All Star Wars movies for around $20 through streaming has more value than only the original six for $60 on bluray. Hopefully by 2024 there’s still interest or some reason.

“Our first priority is going to be reaching our core Disney fan,” Iger said.

The unnamed streaming service is projected to launch in late 2019 with Disney marketing executive Ricky Strauss in complete control of their service’s programming. Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man, is at the helm of a new live action Star Wars series exclusive to the service. It will cost $100 million for ten episodes, with no word on any details of the plot for that new series, other programming the service will have, or the price and name of the service.