Disney Dispatches DVD, Blu-ray Disc Business To Sony Pictures In Licensing Deal

February 20, 2024

Disney Dispatches DVD, Blu-ray Disc Business to Sony Pictures in Licensing Deal

THOMAS K. ARNOLD, Media Play Newa

February 20, 2024

The Walt Disney Co. is carving off a chunk of its home entertainment business to Sony Pictures Entertainment, licensing its films to Sony for the manufacture, distribution and marketing of DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays.

Disney will continue to handle marketing and distribution of its digital home entertainment releases.

The deal includes both new releases and catalog titles, which Sony will sell and distribute through retailers and distributors throughout the North American market. 

The arrangement is similar to the deal Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment have with their joint venture, SDS, which distributes their physical media products while each studio’s home entertainment division retains control over marketing, promotions and publicity.

A Disney source confirmed that the studio’s physical home entertainment business is in the process of transitioning to a licensed model via an agreement with Sony Entertainment. The source said Disney regularly evaluates its go-to-market approach as the home entertainment business and the industry at large continue to rapidly evolve alongside consumer behavior, and the agreement with Sony “will allow us to continue to offer our films and TV shows via physical retailers/distributors and serve our consumers in a more efficient manner. 

“This shift is consistent with strategies we’ve implemented company-wide as we’ve also been undergoing these transitions in other markets.” 

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