Disney will close several streaming apps within a few weeks.
The road to streaming success has not been smooth for the Walt Disney Company. When Disney+ first launched in November 2019, the platform was able to attract a lot of viewers thanks to its huge library of Disney classics, Marvel films, star Wars Content and new original series such as The Mandalorianthe latter generating over 2 million streams on its first day.
Within 24 hours, the service surpassed 10 million total subscribers, making it a serious competitor to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. But the streaming service soon began to falter. The COVID-19 pandemic initially boosted subscriptions as people sought entertainment at home, but it also disrupted production schedules and delayed the release of new content.
In addition, the competitive landscape was becoming increasingly crowded as new entrants like HBO Max and Peacock vied for viewer attention and subscriptions. While Disney had an impressive backlog from a nostalgic perspective, it did not have the same diverse film and television catalog as its competitors.
Soon, subscriber numbers began to decline. In November 2022, Bob Chapek – who had replaced Bob Iger as CEO in 2020 – was removed from the company and replaced by his predecessor as Disney+’s losses mounted. Under his leadership, the streaming service’s operating costs had skyrocketed, resulting in losses of over $11 billion since its launch. Reports in April 2024 revealed that a significant portion of that – over $500 million – went to just three Marvel series: Moon Knight, Secret Invasionand the second season of Loki.
Despite initial optimism, Chapek’s aggressive content spending and pricing strategies failed to deliver the expected growth or profitability, eventually leading Disney’s board to replace him in hopes of getting the company back on track. But that couldn’t happen overnight. A year and a half later, Disney+ lost 1.3 million users in February 2024 alone.
The good news is that things are finally looking up for Disney+. In May, the streaming service finally turned a profit. Although earlier forecasts had predicted a $100 million loss for the last quarter, Disney+ beat expectations and turned a $47 million profit two quarters ahead of schedule.
There are many explanations for this turnaround. Disney+ has made several changes in the past year, including cracking down on password sharing, raising subscription prices, introducing advertising at lower subscription tiers, and bundling the streaming platform with providers like Hulu and ESPN+, which are also part of the Walt Disney Company banner.
The company has also begun integrating Hulu content into Disney+ itself, offering this content under the name “Star” in some countries. At the same time, the company has shut down its standalone Star+ streaming service in Latin America – and will soon shut down more apps as well.
On September 23, Disney will shut down all of its “TV Everywhere” style apps, including DisneyNOW, Freeform, FXNOW, ABC and National Geographic.
The apps for ABC, FreeForm and FX will be discontinued on September 23. Disney Now will also discontinue its app on that day.
The apps for ABC, FreeForm and FX will be discontinued on September 23. Disney Now will also discontinue its app on that day.
(Screenshots via: @animatedplus) pic.twitter.com/S9KoRH2Zqn
— The Disney Beat (@DisneyBeat101) 24 August 2024
A notice has been added to each app’s sign-in page and its corresponding page in the App Store.
The DisneyNOW app first launched in 2017 and combines content from several Disney-owned channels, including Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. In addition to live TV, it offers a selection of shows and movies, as well as games tailored to kids and families. Freeform, FXNOW, ABC and National Geographic, meanwhile, all included content from their namesake TV channels.
The content of each app will still be accessible through the website, but Disney+ will become the de facto streaming app for your phone, tablet or TV.
Disney had already begun shrinking its DisneyNOW library to encourage users to download and subscribe to Disney+ instead. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, That’s so Raven, Hotel Zack & Cody, Phineas and Ferb, The Proud familyAnd Welcome to Gravity Fallsas well as older episodes of series such as Raven’s Home, Prayed, Urban greenAnd DuckTales were all removed in 2019.
Do you still use any of Disney’s TV Everywhere streaming apps?
