Disney Responds After Dozens of Titles Were Purged From Disney+ and Hulu
Disney grabbed headlines last week when subscribers realized that Disney+ and Hulu had purged dozens of titles from their libraries.
With the company’s fiscal quarter ending on September 30, Disney+ removed a handful of popular titles, including Hailey’s On It, Saturdays, Science Fair, and Togo. Hulu, meanwhile, disregarded content including Genius MLX/X, Locked Up: Abroad, and Never Say Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins.
HAILEY’S ON IT! – “The Show Must Go Wrong” (Disney)
HAILEY, KAI
While Disney has previously purged hundreds of titles from its streaming libraries to reduce spending, the latest round of cuts was particularly disconcerting for fans as no warning was given, and many of the removed titles were newer Disney productions.
Disney’s Response
As news of the content purge spread online, Tech Radar reached out to Disney for a comment.
“Like all media companies, we regularly review our titles and make assessments and content decisions based on what makes the most sense for the business,” a spokesman said. “Collectively, it is less than 2% of our total titles globally. Fans still have unprecedented access to a wide variety of Disney’s film and television entertainment.”
As Disney’s statement implies, the latest round of content removal is part of the company’s larger streaming strategy. After years of releasing content at breakneck speed to grow subscriber counts, Disney pivoted.
A Change in Strategy
With Wall Street hyper-focused on profitability, Disney announced in May 2023 that they would remove hundreds of titles from DIsney+ and Hulu. Among the affected shows were Willow, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Big Shot.
Photo: Disney
Subsequently, Disney+ even canceled complete-yet-unaired series such as Nautilus and The Spiderwick Chronicles.
In an era when consumers are increasingly dependent on studios to make content available through streaming, the latest round of title removals reinforces the idea that television and movies have become temporal. With the removal of Hailey’s On It!, for example, fans can no longer watch the series.
Photo: Disney+
In an ever-changing media landscape, Disney is doing everything it can to find profitability in streaming. Unfortunately for fans, such a goal comes with collateral damage.
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