When Disney confirmed all the platforms on which you’ll be able to stream Disney+, there was a notable omission: Amazon’s Fire TV ecosystem. It seems the companies are tussling over terms for not just Disney+, but apps for the likes of ESPN+ and Disney Channel.
Unfortunately, the service might be hamstrung on release day. Although most other streaming services are available across all streaming boxes and TVs thus exposing them to a much wider customer base Amazon’s Fire TV service has not been confirmed as a supported platform for Disney+.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, this may be due to an advertising dispute between Disney and Amazon.
The latter reportedly wants a greater ad presence throughout Disney’s existing family of Fire TV-supported video apps; including the likes of ABC, ESPN, and Disney Channel. So far, Disney has allegedly refused to budge for the most part, which has put Disney+’s place in the Fire TV ecosystem as well as that of the other Disney apps we just mentioned in jeopardy.
So far, the most Disney has been willing to give up is “10% of its ad inventory,” according to the Journal’s sources. Whether or not that will be enough for Amazon remains to be seen, but a mutually-beneficial and swift resolution (ideally before Disney+’s launch) is desirable for all parties.
Not just for the two companies, but for consumers, who will ultimately benefit by having extra way to access the upcoming streaming service. After all, if you already own a Fire TV device of some sort, you likely won’t want to pick up, say, an Apple TV box just so you can watch new Disney-exclusive shows or movies.
