You’ll be able to access a selection of Disney+ shows on ITVX and vice-versa from Wednesday 16 July.
- Development follows similar moves in Europe to integrate local streaming service into popular international streamers.
- Andor and The Bear from Disney+ coming to ITVX.
- Disney+ users will be able to watch Vera and Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
- “Taste of ITVX” and “Taste of Disney+” areas will be available in each app.
The Walt Disney Company and ITV have confirmed they’re going to make a selection of each other’s shows available across their respective streaming platforms.
The promotional selection of shows, billed as a ‘Taste of ITVX’ and a ‘Taste of Disney+ will become available on 16 July. Streamers on Disney+ and ITVX will be able to access a regularly refreshed selection of shows and movies from each service.
What’s going to be available from ITV on Disney+?
Disney+ customers – in the UK only – will be able to stream some of ITV’s most popular scripted and unscripted content.
This including the multi-award-winning drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, espionage thriller Spy Among Friends, selected seasons of the reality hit Love Island, drama favourites such as Endeavour, Vera and the debut season of Karen Pirie.
Olivia Attwood’s immersive series Price of Perfection, as well as entertainment formats like The 1% Club will be available to existing Disney+ subscribers at no extra cost.
What’s going to be available from Disney+ on ITVX?
ITVX viewers will be able to stream a “rotating rail” of Disney+ content.
The selection in the coming months includes the first seasons of FX’s The Bear, Lucasfilm’s Andor and Only Murders in the Building, to selected series of reality titles including The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and The Kardashians.
You’ll also be able to stream family favourites including Lilo and Stitch: The Series and Phineas and Ferb.
‘A Taste of Disney+’ will be available to all ITVX viewers at no cost. You’ll get ad-free access to Disney+ titles on ITVX Premium.
Broadcasters seeking to join forces with the big streamers
The deal between ITV and Disney echoes similar moves last month in France, where the country’s biggest commercial broadcaster announced it would make its content available through Netflix.
The TF1 and Netflix deal also extends to enabling access to streams of TF1’s live TV channels through Netflix as well as as content from streaming service TF1+. ITV’s deal with Disney isn’t that comprehensive, and the content on each other’s platforms is very much limited.
French public broadcaster France Télévisions subsequently agreed a similar deal with Prime Video in France. To compare with the UK, the deal would be akin to the BBC making iPlayer content and live channels available on Prime Video.
It’s an acknowledgement that as viewers stream more content, they’re not doing so through local broadcaster’s own apps.
Instead, YouTube, Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video are hoovering up much of traditional broadcaster’s audiences. In the UK, this has been acknowledged by ITV and Channel 4 making more of their content available on YouTube.
Compared to what’s happened in France though, ITV’s partnership with Disney+ is a small step to the emerging French model.
Corporate comments
Speaking about the partnership, Joe Earley, President, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment, said:
“We are proud of this innovative collaboration with ITV, which will allow us to bring Disney+ customers some of the UK’s favorite and buzzworthy shows and encourage ITVX viewers to discover some of Disney+’s award-winning series and blockbuster films.”
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, ITV, added:
“Disney are fantastic partners with a brilliant breadth of content. This mutually beneficial alliance allows us to show our complementary audiences a specially selected collection of titles, regularly updating, that gives a flavour of the range in our respective offerings. For us, this deal means even more great content for viewers on ITVX, and even more opportunity for viewers to find and enjoy our distinctive titles and services.”
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Disney/ITV