What you need to know
- Starz had an license agreement with Disney for several films that Disney wanted to include on Disney+.
- As a result of modifying the agreement, Disney has agreed to a banner ad for Starz on the Disney+ signup/login page.
- This banner ad will appear on the login page for the Disney+ Android app and website.
Trying to get every title Disney's ever made onto one service is like herding cats, except the cats have all been going to different homes for food and belly rubs. The reason that the films and tv shows that Disney+ will have on Day One — now a week away — is not complete is because Disney's legal teams have been trying to find ways to revise or shorten the deals they have while waiting for others to simply time out.
The license agreement with arguably the biggest impact on Disney+'s library was Disney's agreements with Starz, one of which included the rights to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and other recent Star Wars and Marvel titles. That agreement has apparently been modified in order to allow Disney to stream these films on Disney+ — something we knew had happened once The Force Awakens and Rogue One were announced for Day One availability — but due to a confirmed report from The Verge, we now know how Starz agreed to give up its exclusivity.
Disney+ was not planned to have ads and will not have ads during playback, but apparently on certain platforms you will see banner ads for Starz when you sign up or log in to Disney+'s website or Android apps. It's unclear if those ads will appear on the Android TV app or just the main Android app you'd install on phones, tablets, or Chromebooks, but at least the experience should be ad-free once you're logged in.
One week to go!
At long last, you're going to be able to find just about all of Disney's shows and films in one place, though some are still bound by previous streaming and licensing agreements. Disney jumped through hoops to loosen its agreement with Starz, but in exchange for a single banner ad, we'll be able to stream every Star Wars film except The Last Skywalker.
