Disney Sets Comcast Xfinity Distribution Deal For Disney+ And ESPN+, New Bundle With Ad-Free Hulu

Dade Hayes
·2 min read
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Disney has reached a distribution deal with Comcast for the integration of Disney+ and ESPN+ into the No. 1 U.S. cable operator’s Xfinity X1 and Flex broadband services.

The company on Thursday during its Disney Investor Day presentation also announced an update to the successful bundle it rolled out with Disney+, ESPN+ and ad-supported Hulu. In 2021, a new bundle option for $6 more per month will feature the no-ad version of Hulu.

The addition of the pricier bundle was prompted by customer feedback, Michael Paull, president of Disney+ and ESPN+, said during the presentation.

“We have built early momentum by meeting customers wherever they are on the devices they prefer,” Paull said. “The availability of our app on mobile and connected devices has helped to amplify our reach into more streaming households and deepen subscriber engagement.”

Ahead of launch, Disney+ set deals with Roku, Apple TV and other connected-TV partners as well as Verizon via mobile. The Comcast agreement, Paull said, extends access to more than 20 million subscribers to Xfinity pay-TV and broadband video packages.

Xfinity has gradually integrated a number of streaming services into its interface in recent years, with a goal of reducing friction for subscribers. It recently added CBS All Access and has done similar integrations with Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube and others.

“With the addition of Disney+ and ESPN+, our X1 and Flex customers will soon have the ability to easily find and watch the complete range of Disney shows and sports,” said Rebecca Heap, SVP Video and Entertainment, Comcast Cable, in a press release. “Whether it’s live, on demand or streamed via an app, unifying content is our strength and we’re pleased to add Disney+ and ESPN+ to our aggregation platforms, all accessible with the award-winning Xfinity voice remote.”

Earlier in the presentation, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Disney+ had reached 86.8 million subscribers globally as of December 2.

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