Disney Limiting Disc Purchases to Push Disney+?

Disney/ Consumer Discretionary ... · topping the market’s revenue expectations, with sales up 6.5% year on year to $25.17 billion....

Following the launch of Disney+ in 2019 and its international expansion in the following years, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has begun to discontinue physical distribution entirely in certain regions such as Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, India, the Middle East, Portugal, Asia (except Japan), Hungary, Russia, Greece, and Romania, or to let other companies distribute in certain international markets like the United Kingdom and Ireland (Elevation Sales), Poland (Galapagos), Czech Republic (Magic Box), Spain (Divisa Films), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Scandinavia (SF Studios), France and Benelux (ESC Distribution), Germany and Austria (Leonine Studios), and Japan (Happinet).

Judge Andre Birotte Jr., in a ruling on December 12, 2016, granted Disney's motion for a preliminary injunction, declaring that VidAngel had violated copyright laws by circumventing copyright protection technology on DVDs and by hosting the streamed content on VidAngel's computer servers without appropriate licensing and permission from copyright holders. The court also rejected VidAngel's Fair Use defense, noting as paraphrased in media about the case, "VidAngel does not add anything and the result has essentially the same entertainment value as the original, thus the fair use defense is unlikely to win out."

There could be several factors behind Disney's decision to hold back on physical media collections for its Disney+ titles. One could be due to the original reception of each show, leaving them apprehensive. While The Mandalorian may have had its complete run to this date printed, spin-off The Book of Boba Fett has held a much more divisive place with viewers.

Disney’s sole focus is now Disney+. I’ve had industry people tell me that if Disney had the opportunity, they would probably pull all of their movies and TV shows off of every digital service — no Fandango, no Apple TV, no Prime Video for rental or purchase.

Castle said he is frustrated when major studios like Disney seem to prioritize streaming over physical releases.

Disc · Product News · Research · Streaming · Studios · Theatrical · Transactional VOD · TV · Avatar: Fire and Ash · Erik Gruenwedel · May 6, 2026 · Disney May 6 reported second quarter (ended March 28) content sales of $1.7 billion, up ...

It’s too early to tell how these layoffs will affect Disney’s direction, but it is worth noting one phrase in D’Amaro’s memo to employees. “Given the fast-moving pace of our industries,” the memo reads, “this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.” · Physical media may not be “technologically-enabled” in a streaming world, but it’s far more reliable for consumers than a digital license that could be revoked at any time.

The terms of service for most digital libraries allow the provider to remove content for a variety of reasons, including licensing disputes or corporate tax write-offs. Disney's reduction in physical media support effectively forces ...