Disney+ reveals UK launch slate

Thirty seasons of The Simpsons will be available on Disney+

Disney+ has revealed details of the content that will be available on its UK edition at launch, including seasons one to 30 of The Simpsons.

Over 600 episodes of the animated comedy will be available to Disney+ subscribers, while season 31 of the long-running show will join the others from November.

There were doubts over The Simpsons’ availability on Disney+ in the UK due to the Mouse House’s existing pay TV and free TV rights deals with Sky and Channel 4, respectively.

Disney and Sky recently agreed a new multi-year deal that will make Disney+ available for purchase in the UK and Ireland via the Comcast-owned satcaster’s services.

The streaming service, currently available in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, launches in the UK, as well as Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, on March 24. Additional Western European markets, including Belgium, the Nordics and Portugal, will follow this summer.

It went on sale in the UK last month with an introductory offer that undercuts rivals in the market such as Netflix.

Disney+ features content mined from the company’s entertainment brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, as well as exclusive original programming.

Blockbuster movies including Avengers: Endgame and Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo will also be available, alongside more than 25 exclusive original series such as The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.

Along with eight Star Wars films, more than 20 Pixar films will be available, including Toy Story 4, plus National Geographic documentaries and classic animated films such as Cinderella, The Sword in the Stone and The Little Mermaid.

Also available to stream will be Frozen, The Lion King (2019), Phineas & Ferb, Ducktales and hundreds of Disney Channel series, shorts and specials.

The launch of Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand means the Mouse House’s linear channels, Disney Channel and Disney Junior, will close in the coming months.

The line-up reveal comes after The Walt Disney Company had to cancel two events it had planned this week in the UK to promote the European launch of Disney+ due to the coronavirus outbreak.