[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Horizon

Fully agree.

The media landscape will look very different to now.

I can't remember whether there was a single incident or not (I seem to recall Netflix having a spat with Disney several years ago, at the back of my mind, but I'm maybe wrong on that), but when Netflix decided to make its own shows, that totally changed everything.

All of a sudden there was a platform available globally (almost) which had a direct relationship to its customers and fully controlled its own content. No licensing deals to haggle over, no arguing over how much to pay per subscriber, it totally changed everything. No middlemen. No extra costs.

As I've said before, I hate all these separate apps. It was easy when you could switch on your stb and you could select what you wanted from the same interface and with Sky integrating Netflix into their system, that may be the case in the future too with the streamers.

Pay tv companies may integrate the streamers into their systems and offer bundles of streamers for a set price to offset the decline of channels. It may go like that, or it may not.

Well, the Disney app appears to be in the offing for the UK soon.

https://www.a516digital.com/2018/11/...g-comcast.html

Media analysts say that Sky could face the loss of programmes and movies from Disney and Fox following the failure of 21st Century Fox, and its new owner Disney, to gain control of the company.

Contracts are due to be renewed by 2020, but Disney is known to be in the advanced stages of planning its own direct-to-consumer streaming and on-demand service, which could side-step the need to do a deal with Sky.

The Guardian quotes Sarah Simon of research firm Berenberg as saying that "Disney now doesn’t have any incentive to renew its programming deals with Sky unless it’s on extremely good financial terms.”

Sky has traditionally enjoyed a strong relationship with Disney, encompassing a Disney-branded movie channel and a long term carriage agreement for Disney's children's channels. However, in 2016, Disney Channel left Sky's streaming service Now TV in an early move away from providing online content through Sky in favour of building its own portfolio. Disney has also pulled content from streaming service Netflix to ensure it has full control over its content online.

However, it is also being reported that Sky has already secured longer-term movie deals with two other Hollywood studios ensuring that the company will continue to be able to provide blockbuster content in the coming years, regardless of any issues with Disney.

In a statement last month, Sky boss Jeremy Darroch revealed that the company would be buying in fewer niche movies going forward.