The Disney+ app will be made available on Sky after the two companies struck a “multi-year” deal.
Sky customers in the UK and Ireland with the Sky Q box will be able to access Disney+ after it launches on March 24, giving them access to originals such as The Mandalorian.
Disney+ will sit alongside other apps, including Netflix and iPlayer, on Sky Q, while it will also launch on Sky’s streaming service Now TV over the coming months.
As part of the deal, Comcast-owned Sky will continue to hold first pay window rights to 20th Century titles, meaning its customers will be able to watch films including Terminator: Dark Fate.
Sky declined to comment on the terms of the deal and whether it will still carry Disney films and have access to The Simpsons under the new arrangement. For now, both are covered under Sky and Disney’s existing deal, but Sky declined to reveal when this expires.
On The Simpsons, a Sky spokesman added that it will have access to the show on a “co-exclusive” basis for the foreseeable future, suggesting it might be available on Disney+ when it launches in the UK on March 24. Or it could just mean that The Simpsons will also remain on Channel 4.
Sky group CEO Jeremy Darroch said: “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.”
Disney is planning a big Disney+ launch event in the UK this week, with service coming to Britain more than five months after it went live in the U.S., Canada and Netherlands. The slate of Disney+ Originals from launch includes The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Diary of a Future President, The World According To Jeff Goldblum and Marvel’s Hero Project.