The Walt Disney Company will shut down most of its smartphone and smart TV apps that are associated with its broadcast and cable networks in September.
The move will impact “TV Everywhere” apps like FX Now, ABC, Disney Now, Nat Geo TV and Freeform that require a cable, satellite or streaming cable-like subscription to use. Those apps allowed customers to watch on-demand episodes and movies that aired across Disney-owned networks, as well as live east and west coast feeds of Freeform, FX, FXX and National Geographic, as well as their local ABC station or affiliate if available.
Customers are being notified that their access to these apps will end on September 23, at which point they’ve been asked to subscribe to Hulu or Disney Plus if they want to continue watching content on their phones, tablets or smart TVs.
The websites associated with Disney’s broadcast and cable networks will still function, and pay TV customers will still be able to log on to the websites through their computers to watch on-demand programming. Video on-demand libraries within cable, satellite and most streaming cable-like services will also continue to work.
The loss of the ABC app is interesting, because Disney was quietly building up a free, ad-support streaming TV (FAST) platform within the ABC app, offering nearly three dozen FAST content streams with programs like “Dharma and Greg,” “General Hospital,” game shows and local ABC-owned news broadcasts. Disney recently affirmed plans to launch curated playlists within the Disney Plus app that essentially does the same thing, although Disney Plus requires a subscription.
The decision to shut down the Disney TV Everywhere apps comes amid similar moves by peer programmers, including Paramount Global, which pulled support for TV Everywhere apps associated with Comedy Central, Paramount Network and MTV last year. The websites associated with these networks continue to function; Paramount has told streamers to use Paramount Plus for most of their programming needs.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) shut down the apps and websites associated with Cartoon Network sister network Boomerang as part of a broader push to convince animation fans to purchase a subscription to Max, where most current and former Cartoon Network shows are available.
