The battle between streaming giants is heating up as Hulu recently announced that they have acquired a licensing deal with Disney. This means that films such as "Mulan," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and "Pocahontas" can be viewed via the subscription service.
Disney gave exclusive subscription video on-demand rights to a sizable collection of its movies to Hulu. With over 50 titles becoming available in the months to come, Hulu has become a force to be reckoned with in terms of streaming service. Some of the Disney titles are already available, which includes "Hercules," "Sister Act," and "Air Bud."
Hulu is getting over 50 Disney movies thanks to new licensing deal https://t.co/S33MEiUGi4
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) December 29, 2016
In addition to the exclusive content, Hulu will also have access to more than 50 Disney movies. These Disney titles will include "Con Air," "Step Up," "Pearl Harbor," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion," and "The Mighty Ducks." Further, according to an excerpt from a report by 9To5Mac, Disney's blockbusters hits for families to enjoy will also be streamed via Hulu, such as "The Emperor's New Groove," "Lilo & Stitch," "Tarzan," "Muppet Treasure Island," and "The Princess and the Frog."
It is notable that Hulu's chosen titles are largely family-focused, according to Polygon. Thanks to a deal with Disney and ABC Television Group that was announced early this year, Disney has been offering other content on Hulu. Disney also has a 30% stake in Hulu. Meanwhile, sometime in 2017, Hulu will launch its live TV streaming service.
The new licensing agreement between Disney and Hulu would mean that Disney is dividing the streaming rights to its massive movie library over multiple platforms. Netflix and Disney already had a prior deal, announced back in 2012, allowing Netflix to stream Disney films in the same window as that allowed on paid cable TV.
The Netflix deal included films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm. Disney also has its own overseas streaming platform named "DisneyLife," which includes movies, TV, music, and other content.
In order to stream classic blockbuster Disney films via Hulu, viewers will need to have a subscription costing $7.99 with commercial breaks, while it is $11.99 for those smooth stream minus the interruptions. Hulu is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and the web.
