HBO to Share Former Fox Films With Disney+, Hulu for One Year

(Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co. amended the final year of a TV distribution deal the lets AT&T Inc.’s HBO carry movies from the former Fox studio, gaining the right to share some titles with its own Disney+ and Hulu streaming services.

The agreement, which lets HBO run films after they appear in theaters, is a holdover from when Fox was a separate company controlled by Rupert Murdoch. The deal, which still expires at the end of 2022, will include a shorter exclusive period for the films in theaters and advertising rights when they appear on the company’s respective streaming services. 

HBO will hold exclusive rights to roughly half of the films, with the rest shared with Disney. The titles include “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” an animated film which will appear on HBO Max and Disney+ on Dec. 15, according to Variety, which reported on the deal earlier Monday.

Disney bought the Fox film business in 2019 as part of its $71.3 billion acquisition of the bulk of 21st Century Fox Inc.’s entertainment businesses. The main film unit was renamed 20th Century Studios. The deal also includes movies made by Searchlight Pictures, formerly Fox Searchlight.

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