‘The Simpsons’ Headed To Disney+ In Exclusive SVOD Deal
Disney’s Investor Day culminated with a special clip of the Simpsons gang saluting their new Disney “corporate overlords,” leading to the announcement that Disney+, the upcoming Disney direct-to-consumer platform, will be the exclusive SVOD home of the classic 20th Century Fox TV-produced series. The animated show, recently renewed by Fox for a record Seasons 31 and 32, has had a groundbreaking exclusive off-network deal with FX Networks, which has included digital rights for the FXNew platform and had been estimated to reach $100 million.
The Disney+ agreement is expected to impact FX’s Simpsons deal. How exactly, it is unclear, and I hear details are yet to be figured out. I hear that some previous Simpsons episodes would likely still be on FXNow but, starting on Nov. 12, the full library will only be available on Disney+.
The irreverent TV family family was the marquee Fox addition to the inaugural Disney+ lineup unveiled today, which was dominated by Disney programs. The Simpsons recently became a Disney property following the $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox assets. It fits the family-friendly brand envisioned for Disney+, unlike 20th TV’s other hugely popular animated series, Family Guy, for example, which is probably too racy. Its SVOD home is on Hulu, which also is controlled by Disney.
In The Simpsons clip, under a Welcome Synergy banner, alongside a photo of Rupert Murdoch in a garbage bin, and in front of statures of Bob Iger and Darth Vader, Homer Simpson is sporting mouse ears and is forcing the rest of the family to put theirs on, which they begrudgingly do. The video ends with Maggie as a Springfield Tinker Bell, sprinkling magic, before the big announcement that Disney+ will launch on November 12 at a cost of $6.99 a month.
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