Hulu Signs Deal to Get Some Disney Movies

Moving deeper into theatricals, Hulu said it signed its first agreement for rights to stream movies from the Walt Disney Studios.

The deal gives Hulu video on demand rights to films including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mulan, Pocahontas, Hercules, Sister Act and Air Bud, effective immediately.

Disney is one of the owners of Hulu, which is planning to launch a streaming service with live linear networks in 2017.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Disney in March sold the streamning rights to its new movies--including Star Wars, Pixar  and Marvel titles--to Netflix, Hulu's rival, effective in September. Netflix previously had the non-exclusive rights to some of the films Hulu has now acquired the rights to.

While Hulu has focused on streaming TV series, more on demand services—including HBO and Netflix—have found substantial consumer demand for films.

"The Disney brand is synonymous with beloved movies that the whole family can enjoy," said Craig Erwich, senior VP, head of content, Hulu. "Expanding our offering of top-rated kids and family programming has been a top priority for us, and we know viewers will love watching these films over and over again on our service."

The films will join top-rated kids programming from Disney's suite of networks and more than 20 Disney Channel original movies that were added to Hulu through a comprehensive deal with the Disney-ABC Television Group announced earlier this year.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.