James R | On 02, Dec 2019

BT is reportedly in talks to carry Disney+ on its TV platform.

The House of Mouse’s new subscription service will launch in the UK on 31st March 2020, several months after its launch in the USA. It has already proven a success on home soil with a reported 15 million subscribers signing up since its debut a couple of weeks ago.

Nonetheless, the platform is a latecomer to the streaming party, with the risk of streaming fatigue preventing some from signing up to another subscription service, given their potential existing subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NOW, MUBI and more. One key step to carving a niche – in addition to exclusive content – is being available on a wide range of platforms and devices. Indeed, Britbox, which recently launched in the UK, is not yet available widely, which will likely prove a hurdle to audience uptake over the Christmas period.

Disney, though, looks set to try and avoid falling victim to the same problem, with The Sunday Times reporting that it is already in talks with BT to be carried on its TV service. BT, meanwhile, is making a concerted push to draw new or retain existing clients; as well as fighting off rivals to renew its rights to Champions League football, the telecoms company has just agreed with Amazon to bring Prime Video to its platform, as it moves to position itself as a “super-aggregator”, where viewers can access most on-demand platforms in one place. Indeed, BT TV’s Youview platform also provides access to BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5.

Marc Allera, head of BT’s consumer division, told The Sunday Times: “Because we have a connection in every other home in the UK, we can provide significant scale and reach for their services.”

Add to Watchlist