‘Willow,’ ‘Dollface’ Among Dozens of Titles Being Pulled From Disney+, Hulu in Cost-Cutting Move
UPDATED: Disney’s content culling from Disney+ and Hulu is coming as early as next week — with the media company pulling off more than 50 titles, including series “Willow,” “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and “Dollface,” and movies such as “The One and Only Ivan.”
At the same time, CEO Bob Iger told investors last week that the company expects to raise the price on the ad-free Disney+ tier later this year “to better reflect the value of our content offerings.”
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A Disney rep confirmed that dozens of titles will be pulled off Disney+ and Hulu (see list below), starting on Friday, May 26. On the earnings call, CFO Christine McCarthy said Disney expects to take a write-down in the June quarter of $1.5 billion-$1.8 billion from removing content from its streaming platforms. By writing down the value of the content assets, Disney can remove that from its balance sheet and reduce its tax bill.
“We are in the process of reviewing the content on our [direct-to-consumer] services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation,” McCarthy told investors. “As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms.”
Iger said Disney is “confident that we’re on the right path for streaming’s long-term profitability” and that as part of that the company would be “rationalizing the volume of the content we make and what we’re spending.” He also announced that the company will launch an integrated Disney+/Hulu “one-app experience” in the U.S. by the end of 2023 for subscribers of both services.
After spending just under $30 billion on content in Disney’s 2022 fiscal year (which ends in September), Iger has targeted $3 billion in savings for 2023. The Mouse House’s content spending this year could also be lower because of the WGA writers strike, McCarthy said this week at a conference.
Here are some of the shows and movies Disney is removing from the streaming services:
Disney+
America the Beautiful
Among the Stars
Artemis Fowl
Be Our Chef
Better Nate Than Ever
The Big Fib
Big Shot
Black Beauty
Cheaper by the Dozen (2022)
Clouds
Diary of a Future President
Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings
Earth to Ned
Encore!
Foodtastic
Harmonious Live!
It’s a Dog’s Life With Bill Farmer
Just Beyond
Magic Camp
The Making of Willow
The Mighty Ducks
Marvel’s Hero Project
More Than Robots
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The One and Only Ivan
Own the Room
Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays
Pick of the Litter
The Princess
The Real Right Stuff
Rogue Trip
Rosaline
Shop Class
Stargirl (2020)
Stuntman
Super/Natural
Timmy Failure
Turner & Hooch
Weird but True!
Willow
Wolfgang
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
Hulu
Best in Dough
Best in Snow
Darby and the Dead
Dollface
Everything’s Trash
Little Demon
Love in the Time of Corona
Maggie
Pistol
The Premise
The Quest
Y: The Last Man
(Pictured above: Warwick Davis in Disney+ original series “Willow”)
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