‘The Simpsons’: Disney+ to Be Exclusive Streaming Home When Service Launches — Watch
For years, the iconic animated series “The Simpsons” has been a jewel in the Fox crown. Now, the record-breaking TV show will be one of many library items in a gigantic new offering from Disney, which now controls “The Simpsons” and a bevy of other properties.
“The Simpsons” had previously had a streaming home under the Fox umbrella, but beginning in November, Disney+ will be the show’s lone streaming option. Agnes Chu, Senior Vice President of Content for Disney+, announced the switch as part of Thursday’s massive Disney Investors presentation, one that also confirmed the price and launch of the impending streaming service. Chu was not alone, as the Simpsons themselves teamed up for a short tongue-in-cheek celebration of the upcoming change in online venue. (Case in point: That sure looks like a signed Rupert Murdoch photo in their trash can.)
Welcome to the family, @TheSimpsons. #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/OYAN1ziGsy
— Disney (@Disney) April 11, 2019
Between building entire days of programming on the FXX network and the creation of “Simpsons World,” an online repository of all things Springfield, Fox had put a large amount of resources into building multiple venues for the show to live on beyond a simple syndication deal. FXX held a 12-day “Every Simpsons Ever” marathon event in 2014, followed by another two years later. “Simpsons World” had a number of features beyond the episodes themselves, including extensive metadata on various guest cast members and in-show mythology. The service, which launched less than five years ago, also allowed viewers to build clip playlists and had built-in “donut” challenges to incentivize users to explore different parts of the site and app.
So now, just over two decades after predicting the Disney acquisition outright, “The Simpsons” will exist alongside a large collection of family programming on Disney+, including complete collections of Disney Channel Original Movies, the entire Pixar feature filmography, and every installment in the “Star Wars” trilogy of trilogies.
