Update – It turns out that Iger’s statements were in reference to something else. Disney has confirmed to The Verge that shows will disappear from downloads if it leaves Disney Plus, so it looks like it will be pretty much similar to all other streaming platforms.
The problem with a lot of streaming services is that for the most part, they tend to rely on licenses for movies and TV shows. This means that there is a set time limit on how long a movie or series will remain on a streaming platform before that license expires, and it’s anyone’s guess if those licenses will be renewed.
However, the good news is that Disney Plus won’t have that problem. Speaking at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit, Disney’s CEO Bob Iger revealed that even if a title leaves the service, as long as the user has downloaded it, they will be able to continue watching it for as long as they want.
According to Iger, “If you wanted to download 10 classic Disney films that may not have all been available at once before, you can do that, basically fill all of your hard drive on one of your devices, and you or your child can watch wherever they are.” We imagine that this is Disney’s way of trying to keep customers subscribed to the service for as long as possible.
We’ve seen how licensing can be a big deal, such as Friends which will be leaving Netflix next year, or when Disney decided to stop licensing their shows to Netflix, meaning that newer Marvel movies will not be streamable via the platform.