Disney and Netflix have reached a content licensing agreement that brings Disney+ originals, ABC series, and Pixar films to Netflix on a nonexclusive, limited-time basis. The cross-platform arrangement includes promotional windows for upcoming franchise releases, network dramas, and library titles starting globally in October 2026.
Streaming Strategy Shift Brings Disney Titles to Netflix
The Walt Disney Company and Netflix have entered into an expansive new content licensing agreement, altering a distribution strategy that had kept Disney-branded properties strictly behind proprietary paywalls since the launch of Disney+ in 2019. The agreement makes a selection of library titles and current-season television shows available to Netflix customers, utilizing Netflix’s subscriber base of over 325 million users to monetize and promote Disney-owned programming according to the Variety exclusive.
This arrangement follows earlier shifts in the streaming market. Before the launch of Disney+, Netflix maintained multiple deals to stream Walt Disney Company films and shows, which largely concluded as Disney sought to build its own branded streaming experience. In December 2023, the companies struck a smaller agreement that brought titles like Scandal
and Black-ish
to Netflix for a limited 18-month period, while longer-term contracts for series such as Grey’s Anatomy
and Arrested Development
remained in place.
https://x.com/netflix/status/2106037481921794477
Promotional Windows for Percy Jackson and Ice Age
A core component of the new strategy involves using short-term promotional windows on Netflix to drive audience interest in upcoming theatrical and streaming releases. The first two seasons of the Disney+ original series Percy Jackson and the Olympians will be available to all Netflix subscribers globally beginning October 4, 2026. This availability is scheduled for a three-month window ahead of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Season 3 premiere on Disney+ on November 20, 2026.
The first two seasons adapt Rick Riordan’s books The Lightning Thief
and The Sea of Monsters
, which were previously adapted for the screen by 20th Century Fox. Season 3 ventures into new territory by adapting the third book, The Titan’s Curse
, sending the protagonist on a quest to track down Annabeth and the missing goddess Artemis while introducing the di Angelo siblings.
Similarly, all five animated films from 20th Century Studios’ Ice Age franchise will begin streaming globally on Netflix on October 4, 2026. The release of Ice Age
(2002), Ice Age: The Meltdown
(2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
(2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift
(2012), and Ice Age: Collision Course
(2016) serves as a promotional push ahead of the theatrical release of the sixth installment, Ice Age: Boiling Point
, in theaters on February 5, 2027.
Will Trent and Shifting Gears Head to Netflix
In addition to promotional franchise windows, current-season network shows from 20th Television are headed to Netflix. Seasons 1 through 4 of the crime drama Will Trent
will arrive globally on Netflix on November 3, 2026, ahead of its Season 5 premiere on ABC in early 2027. The sitcom Shifting Gears
will see its first two seasons hit Netflix globally on December 1, 2026, ahead of its Season 3 premiere on ABC on January 7, 2027.
The agreement also covers feature films and library television series set to release across 2027. Confirmed animated titles include Pixar’s Oscar-winner Soul
, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Raya and the Last Dragon
, and the science-fiction film Elio
.
Disney Keeps Marvel and Star Wars on Disney+
Despite the expansive scope of the licensing agreement, Disney is maintaining core boundaries around its proprietary platforms. Franchise pillars such as Marvel and Star Wars remain exclusive to Disney+, preserving Disney-branded characters as primary selling points for its own subscription service. Furthermore, titles licensed to Netflix will not be removed from Disney’s own streaming services, continuing to be available on Disney+ and Hulu while appearing on Netflix.
