It was the break-up nobody expected or desired. During Disney's latest earnings report, CEO Bob Iger announced plans to remove all Disney movies from Netflix with the long-term goal of launching Disney's own direct-to-consumer streaming service by 2019.
The service will begin in the U.S. with international expansion shortly after. Meanwhile, Disney content will be available on Netflix until 2018, but Marvel TV shows such as Luke Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones will remain.
Iger branded the platform as the exclusive home for Disney films as well as efforts by Disney to produce a stream of unique content to compete with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and HBO exclusives.
Unsurprisingly, Netflix stock dropped 5 percent in the midst of the news. This is even after Netflix announced the acquisition of Millarworld Comics. Millarworld content includes the characters of Kickass and Secret Service.
Many are seeing Netflix's acquisition as a response to the schism between Netflix and Disney. It is perceived as yet another cannon blast in the battle between streaming services, a battle that everyday turns more into a total war.
Undoubtedly, Disney will enter the fold as a heavy-weight contender. With such a diverse cash flow supporting the creation of new content, partnerships with ESPN to attract sports junkies, and the weight of a channel on cable that can be utilized in multiple ways to supplement the streaming service, Disney causes headaches to managing directors at Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
Of course, it is premature to say that Netflix is soon to be wiped off the face of the streaming planet, but it is already facing another multi-industry giant in Amazon. The long-term impact on Netflix's strategy will be a drive to acquire and partner with more outlets ranging from sports to news which will inevitably translate into subscription price hikes.
In the near-term, Netflix will continue to chill and follow suit on a strategy that has created cult-followings for many Netflix exclusives.
Regardless, consumers are certainly sitting back and enjoying the streaming wars as the quality of content will only go up.
