At what cost, Kylo Ren? Well, the answer’s a few banners for Starz, apparently.
The Verge reports that after announcing Disney+ as an entirely ad-free experience, the login pages for both the upcoming streaming service as well as ESPN+ will now feature banner ads for Lionsgate’s cable network. The same ads will also run on the Android mobile version of the service’s app, as well as in browsers.
But why is Disney reneging on its ad-free claims? Well, the answer is The Force Awakens, among other things.
Speaking to The Verge, a spokesperson for Disney confirmed that the Starz banners are part of a renegotiated deal between the megacorporation and the network, in exchange for altering broadcast rights on several recent Disney movies, including the first entry in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, so that the House of Mouse could have them available on the platform day one.
This has been a problem Disney has faced for a lot of its content, as it has spent the past few years withdrawing (or attempting to withdraw) from broadcasting deals made with networks and streaming services that have now become rivals as Disney enters the streaming wars. Marvel and Star Wars have been the primary battlegrounds for this renegotiation—just a handful of MCU movies will be available on Disney+ day one, and last year Disney went through a public spat with Turner Broadcasting as it tried to renege on a 2016 deal made with the company for the exclusive broadcasting rights to every then-current Star Wars film until 2024.
That was at least a success on Disney’s behalf, but it seems getting The Force Awakens back was a little harder.
Even with this acquiescence, not every Star Wars film will be available on Disney+ come November 12. Both The Last Jedi and Solo will be arriving at a currently undisclosed later date, and obviously The Rise of Skywalker will not be out in cinemas by that point but will make its streaming debut exclusively on the service sometime next year.
Still, the House of Mouse gets what the House of Mouse wants—and if that means having to break a few promises about ad-free experiences just to say it’s got that Star War at launch, it’ll do it gladly.
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