The Walt Disney Company and ITV have announced a streaming partnership.
In what the companies said is the first of its kind, the initiative aims to expand viewer choice by combining each other’s streaming services. Billed as a ‘Taste of ITVX’ and a ‘Taste of Disney+’, the initiative will make a curated selection of each other’s content available on both platforms.
Beginning on July 16th, UK Disney+ users will be able to stream a range of ITV’s scripted and non-scripted content at no extra cost, while ITVX viewers will be offered a regularly updated selection of Disney+ shows.
The agreement builds on the longstanding collaboration between ITV and Disney. ITV Studios is the producer behind Disney+ shows including Rivals and Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
Joe Earley, president, direct-to-consumer, Disney Entertainment, said, “We are proud of this innovative collaboration with ITV, which will allow us to bring Disney+ customers some of the UK’s favourite and buzzworthy shows and encourage ITVX viewers to discover some of Disney+’s award-winning series and blockbuster films.”
Kevin Lygo, MD of media and entertainment at ITV, added, “Disney are fantastic partners with a brilliant breadth of content. This mutually beneficial alliance allows us to show our complementary audiences a specially selected collection of titles, regularly updating, that gives a flavour of the range in our respective offerings. For us, this deal means even more great content for viewers on ITVX, and even more opportunity for viewers to find and enjoy our distinctive titles and services.”
