Disney Movies Removed from IPTV and OTT... Some Prices Increase by 10%

IPTV 3 Companies, OTT, Cable TV
General VOD Under 2750 Won Discontinued
Naver Series On Raises 5000→5500 Won Products by 10%

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "I’m surprised to realize there were so many Disney movies; it’s really a shame."

As the online video service (OTT) Disney Plus (+) prepares for its domestic launch in November, existing video-on-demand (VOD) replay services are being discontinued, causing disappointment among local fans.

According to the content industry on the 31st, IPTV services operated by the three major telecom companies?KT, SK Broadband, and LG Uplus?will simultaneously stop offering Disney and its affiliate 20th Century Fox’s general VOD replay services priced under 2,750 won starting that day. The same applies to OTT and paid broadcasting sectors such as TVING, Wavve, Watcha, KT Season, U+ Mobile TV, Naver Series On, and D’Live.

Disney movies include many popular titles such as the "Avengers" series, "Frozen," "Star Wars," "The Princess Diaries," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Kingsman." In particular, Disney content has consistently enjoyed popularity, especially on IPTV, due to demand for English education. The home theater market also benefited indirectly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the monthly subscription packages undergoing a complete content overhaul, finding alternatives has become urgent. For example, cable TV provider D’Live is replacing its existing "Disney Monthly Subscription" with "Super Kids Monthly Subscription," offering a promotional price of 110 won for the first month. The "ABC Mid Monthly Subscription" is also renamed to "Movie N Series Monthly Subscription," with a 10,000 won VOD coupon for the first month.

From September, prices for some high-end subscription packages will also increase. According to Naver Series On, at Disney’s request, starting from midnight on September 1, the price of Disney purchase products will rise by 10% from 5,000 won to 5,500 won, and from 6,500 won to 7,150 won. Rental products priced at 4,400 won will increase by 25%. For 20th Century Fox purchase products, the 6,700 won item will increase by 6.7%. However, products priced between 5,000 and 6,000 won will be simplified to a single 5,500 won price point.

Disney’s move was anticipated but still causes significant industry impact. Previously, when Disney Plus was launched, Netflix and others quickly discontinued their VOD services. With the official domestic launch of Disney+ in November, the importance of exclusive intellectual property (IP) has increased, meaning Disney is strengthening its competitiveness. Studio&New is collaborating with Disney to produce Disney+ original content.

Which telecom company Disney+ will partner with for its domestic debut is also a key point to watch. Currently, within the IPTV industry, LG Uplus’s partnership with Disney Plus is considered a done deal. KT is reportedly continuing additional negotiations.

Meanwhile, as of the second quarter (Disney’s own third quarter), the global Disney+ subscriber count reached 116 million, up about 6.2% from the previous quarter’s 103.6 million. This slightly exceeded FactSet’s forecast of 115.2 million. Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, stated during the Q2 earnings conference call, "We will launch Disney+ in mid-November in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and including Korea," specifying the exact timing.