If there’s a show on Disney Plus or Hulu that you’ve been dying to see, you might want to do it quickly before it’s taken off the platforms for good. According to a report by deadlineDisney is about to remove dozens of series (and some movies) from both streaming services, including Willow, Y: The last manAnd Turner & Hoochas part of the entertainment giant’s broader cost-cutting measures.
During Disney’s Q2 earnings call earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger and chief financial officer Christine McCarthy announced plans to remove some content from its streaming services after it was revealed that Disney Plus had lost 4 million subscribers in the first three months of 2023.
“We are reviewing the content of our DTC services to align it with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation,” McCarthy said during the company’s post-earnings call, adding that Disney expects a content reduction of $1.5 to pay. billion to $1.8 billion for the moves. According to VarietyIger has targeted $3 billion in savings for 2023 after spending nearly $30 billion on content for the Disney Plus streaming service last year.
Disney’s decision to remove content follows similar cost-cutting measures taken by HBO Max and Showtime to avoid paying for underperforming library titles. Willow, the revival of Ron Howard’s 1988 fantasy film of the same name, is a surprising inclusion in the list of shows being removed, given that it had only begun airing in November. Many series like Willow And The world according to Jeff Goldblum were heavily promoted by Disney. “They gave us six months. Not even,” he said Willow writer John Bickerstaff on Twitter in response to the news. “This company has become absolutely vicious.”
The following titles are expected to be removed from Disney Plus and Hulu on May 26 deadline:
