Along with streaming on the Disney+ service, all eleven live-action “Star Wars” movies will now be available on Disney’s linear networks including broadcast (ABC) and cable (FX, Freeform) – starting this month reports Deadline.
This is happening because Disney has renegotiated its existing domestic licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Networks which was made in 2016.
The seven-year term of a deal for the first six “Star Wars” movies (the prequels and original trilogies) expired at the end of September. The newer film windows were staggered and set to expire at different times over the next couple of years.
With this new co-exclusive multi-year licensing deal, the terms of the eleven films are now aligned for both Disney and Turner and will end at the same time.
Disney’s “Star Wars” linear rights era will kick off this Saturday, October 7th on FX with a marathon featuring the original trilogy and the 2008 animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” which was not part of the package.
Disney previously tried to buy back the rights in 2019. The two sides reached an agreement at that time so that the linear rights remaining at Turner while the full “Star Wars” film library was made available on the Disney+ service.
