James R | On 04, Mar 2020

The Simpsons will officially be available on Disney+ in the UK.

Disney’s new subscription streaming service has been in the works for some time, as the company looks to take on Netflix with its own family-targeted service. The platform launched in November in the US, giving American fans access to The Mandalorian as well as swathes of older Disney favourites. In the UK, where Disney has previously had a deal with Sky Cinema, fans have been holding out for a 24th March release date.

Disney has wasted no time in commissioning all manner of original content based on its in-house brands, with Marvel series including The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki and WandaVision, plus Star Wars’ The Mandalorian, Toy Story-based projects Forky Asks a Question, and a new Monsters, Inc. spin-off show. With Diary of a Future President, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and more available at the service’s UK launch, fans will have no shortage of Disney titles to browse and stream, but the big question has revolved around one of Disney’s other key properties, which it acquired when it merged with Fox last year: The Simpsons.

The animated comedy was notably missing from the Disney marketing material ahead of the UK’s launch, but now, Disney has confirmed that The Simpsons will be available after all.

The Simpsons, at present, is first broadcast in the UK on Sky One. Last week, a Sky spokesperson told BBC Radio 5 Live that there would be no noticeable difference to that situation for a couple of years. This week, though, Sky and Disney entered into a new agreement, with Disney+ set to be carried as a subscription add-on through Sky Q and NOW. In what appears to be part of that negotiation, Sky and Disney+ will share the back catalogue of Matt Groening’s iconic series, with new seasons still airing on Sky One as a co-exclusive home to the show.

Disney+ announced today that “over 600 episodes of The Simpsons” will be available to stream from launch on 24th March. With approximately 670 episodes of The Simpsons currently in existence, that places Disney+ close behind Sky, with potentially a handful of older episodes not available.

Disney+ costs £5.99 a month or £59.99 for a year. For more on what Disney+ originals are available to stream at launch click here – or to sign up, hit the button below.

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