Disney+ will soon be home to a huge library of Marvel properties, including Spider-Man after the streamer struck a huge licensing deal with Sony Pictures.
The pact, which at present only covers the US, will also see Sony’s 2022-2026 slate of releases added to the libraries of various other platforms such as Hulu — which recently announced its plans for a How I Met Your Mother sequel starring Hilary Duff.
The agreement follows the output deal that Sony struck with streaming giant Netflix, reportedly worth $1 billion, which will see the studio’s blockbusters added to the Netflix catalogue after they have completed their theatrical and home entertainment runs.
The streamer will also have a steady supply of Marvel content, which was previously out of reach because Disney+ had exclusivity. Moving forward, future instalments of Spider-Man and Venom will also be added to the Netflix library although it is worth noting that both Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home will not be included in the deal as they are 2021 releases, thereby premiering before the agreement takes effect.
Interestingly, the Disney+ deal covers subsequent TV windows, meaning that the Marvel titles will land on Netflix first, about nine months after the start of a film’s theatrical run. The Netflix and Disney pacts are expected to rake in about $3 billion for Sony in movie licensing over the life of the deals.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, “Disney+ is the streaming home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, the Sony-released films such as Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) are not on the service. After the upcoming Netflix window expires, those films would be in play for Disney+, uniting more of the MCU saga in one spot.”
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