Disney & Sony in Post-Pay 1 Pact

The Walt Disney Company and Sony Pictures Entertainment have inked a content licensing deal for U.S. streaming and TV rights to Sony’s new theatrical releases across Disney platforms such as Disney+ and Hulu, as well as the ABC, Disney, Freeform, FX and National Geographic linear channels.

The multiyear deal covers theatrical releases from 2022-26 and begins for each film following its Pay 1 TV window. The new partnership builds on the companies’ prior arrangement, which saw Sony Pictures Entertainment movies licensed to FX in the post-Pay 1 TV window.

The agreement also covers rights for a number of library titles, including the Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania franchises and Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel Characters films, including Spider-Man.

“This landmark multi-year, platform-agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels,” said Chuck Saftler, head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks and acquisitions in Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution’s networks division. “This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences.”

“This groundbreaking agreement reconfirms the unique and enduring value of our movies to film lovers and the platforms and networks that serve them,” said Keith Le Goy, president of worldwide distribution and networks for Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.”