DisneyNow
DisneyNow (stylized as DisneyNOW) is a TV Everywhere app for Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD. It launched on September 29, 2017, replacing the individual "Watch" apps that originally launched for these networks in 2012, as well as the networks' respective official websites.
 | |
| Available in | English |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 29, 2017 |
| Headquarters | |
| Area served | United States |
| Parent | Disney Branded Television (Disney General Entertainment Content) |
| URL | https://disneynow.go.com/ |
| Advertising | The Walt Disney Company |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional, but a separate TV provider log-in is required for most content |
| Current status | Online |
History
Disney first launched TV Everywhere services for Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD in June 2012—the "Watch" apps—as part of new carriage agreements with Comcast Xfinity that included digital rights to the programming of Disney's cable channels via authenticated streaming.[1]
In February 2017, during upfronts presentations for its children's channels, Disney announced that the individual Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney Junior, and Watch Disney XD apps would be replaced by a new service known as DisneyNoW. The new service combines the content of all three services, along with Radio Disney, into a unified library. The new application also includes games based on programs from the three channels, a profile system, and parental controls that can lock the app to Disney Junior only. The new apps launched in late-September 2017 for Android, iOS, Apple TV, and Roku. Web, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV versions were released in 2018.[2][3][4] On December 1, 2018, Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai, a spin-off of the Lilo & Stitch franchise that originally aired in 2017, made its United States debut on DisneyNow, with twelve of the series's 13 episodes released on the service.[5]
With the launch of the subscription streaming service Disney+ in November 2019, Disney began to remove library content from DisneyNow in order to encourage subscription to the service.[6][7]
See also
References
- "Disney launches streaming apps for the iPhone and iPad, Comcast gets them first". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- Spangler, Todd (2017-09-28). "Disney Unifies Kids' Cable Channels in 'DisneyNow' App". Variety. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- Steinberg, Brian (28 February 2017). "As 'Kids' Upfront' Kicks Off, Disney Woos Madison Avenue". Variety. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- Perez, Sarah. "Disney releases DisneyNow, a new app that combines live TV, on-demand, games and music". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ""Stitch & Ai" Has Surprise Release on DisneyNOW". LaughingPlace.com. December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- Grothaus, Michael (2019-11-07). "Disney's cable viewers say on-demand content is disappearing a week before Disney+ launch". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- "Disney is Removing On-Demand Content From Cable Customers Ahead of The Disney+ Launch". Cord Cutters News. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.