Disney has announced that they will be removing all of the Marvel and Star Wars properties available on Netflix, moving them to their own streaming service which is set to launch in 2019.
The announcement came from Disney CEO Bob Iger during the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2017 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in Los Angeles on September 7. Iger, according to CNBC, said “I have described a very rich, treasure trove of content for this app. We’re going to launch big, and we’re going to launch hot.”
This means that you are no longer going to be able to stream films like Rogue One, Captain America: Civil War or Zootopia on Netflix, all of which are currently available.
Iger also gave new insight that Disney’s streaming service will open late in 2019 and that the service will soon be looking to create their own original content.
What this means for the Netflix-Marvel universe— Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, etc. — or where they are headed is currently unknown, but things aren't looking good for Netflix retaining the rights.
Netflix recently fired back against Disney’s announcement when they hired ABC’s Shonda Rhimes in an exclusive deal. So far, the announcement hasn’t hurt their business, but with many broadcast networks choosing to start their own streaming sites — including CBS, HBO, Hulu and Amazon — there may be a battle for customers looming. Meanwhile, Disney is also simultaneously developing their own sports streaming network with ESPN.
In the meantime, click here to see what is new to Netflix that you can start watching instead of Disney properties.