Disney is making a bold move to push more subscribers towards Disney+ and Hulu by shutting down most of the mobile and connected TV apps for its networks.
The shutdown will take effect on September 23, 2024, and will affect standalone CTV and mobile apps for Disney properties such as FX Now, ABC, Disney Now, Nat Geo TV, and Freeform.
With this change, users will also lose access to one of the most popular ways to access “TV Everywhere” features that many of these apps include. “TV Everywhere” is a protocol that lets subscribers of pay television packages log in with their provider’s credentials and access streaming content without requiring a separate streaming subscription for the same content they could watch at home for free. “TV Everywhere” will still be available on network websites and the linear feeds of channels will also be unaffected.
Perhaps the most notable app headed to the great digital beyond is the ABC app (as in the app for the network itself). Disney has been exploring ways to add free ad-supported streaming television offerings to the app. The channels will be made available as playlists within Disney+, but users will still have to pay a subscription fee to watch, unlike before.
ABC stations’ feeds will also still be available for free over the air and on Hulu in select markets.
It’s hard not to see this move as a way to bolster subscriber numbers for either Disney+ or Hulu or both (Disney is marketing the two streamers as a bundle first and foremost in many of its campaigns). The main people likely to be affected most by the change are those who still pay for linear television plans from cable or satellite companies and enjoy watching the network streams on mobile devices or connected TVs.
Another subset likely to be affected are users who get around the requirement of paying TV providers for additional hardware by having smart TVs in multiple places around their homes with only internet connections. Travelers and other out-of-home viewers would also find themselves stuck with having to pay for Hulu or Disney+ to watch these networks.
Disney’s latest move also adds another notch in the “con” column for continuing to pay for traditional cable or satellite packages and it’s unclear whether MVPDs will respond or how much of a shift this might have on their already hemorrhaging numbers.
That said, there’s likely some overlap between traditional linear pay TV subscribers and Disney+ and Hulu subscribers, so those users will already be good to go for at least some of their favorite content.