Netflix, Disney announce feature film agreement

Netflix Inc. and The Walt Disney Company announced Tuesday a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive United States subscription television service for first-run animated and live-action feature films from The Walt Disney Studios.

Beginning with its 2016 theatrically released feature films, new Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Disneynature titles will be made available for Netflix members to watch instantly in the pay TV window on multiple platforms, including television, tablets, computers and mobile phones. Also included in the agreement are high-profile Disney direct-to-video new releases, which will be made available on Netflix starting in 2013.

Separately, Disney and Netflix have reached agreement on a multi-year catalog deal that brought to U.S. Netflix members Tuesday such beloved Disney movies as the animated Dumbo, Pocahontas and Alice in Wonderland.

"Disney and Netflix have shared a long and mutually beneficial relationship and this deal will bring to our subscribers, in the first pay TV window, some of the highest-quality, most imaginative family films being made today," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix. "It's a bold leap forward for Internet television, and we are incredibly pleased and proud this iconic family brand is teaming with Netflix to make it happen."

"With this cutting-edge agreement, we are thrilled to take our highly valued relationship with Netflix to the next level by adding Disney's premier films to their programming lineup," said Disney-ABC Domestic Television president Janice Marinelli. "Netflix continues to meet the demands of its subscribers in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, and we are delighted that they will have much earlier access to our top-quality and entertaining slate," she continued.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.