Disney Bans Netflix Ads As the Battle for Streaming Supremacy Escalates
Disney’s streaming service, Disney Plus, arrives on Nov. 12, and it seems that
the Walt Disney Company has already banned advertising from Netflix on its entertainment television networks — principally ABC and Freeform.
In a statement, Disney said it had updated its policy on accepting ads from rival streaming services “to reflect the comprehensive business relationships we have with many of these companies.”
Disney will continue to accept Netflix ads on its ESPN channels, largely because Netflix does not compete with Disney in sports.
Netflix does not sell any advertising on its own platform, so Disney has no opportunity to directly advertise Disney Plus to Netflix customers.
Disney decided not to restrict advertising from HBO Max or Peacock, streaming services from AT&T and Comcast that are set to debut next year.
Netflix declined to comment. However, the company has other options to advertise its service, through billboards, online marketing and other TV networks. Netflix was an early adopter of online advertising and still relies more on internet ads than traditional media.
Amazon Prime Video disappears from Apple's app stores
In related news, Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video, disappeared from Apple’s app store on Friday.
Apple and Amazon did not respond to requests for comment.
Apple has unveiled its own Apple TV Plus service, launching on Nov. 1 for $5 a month.
Update: Prime Video returned to Apple’s app stores after briefly disappearing due to a technical glitch.
The issue, which impacted the Prime Video app on iOS and tvOS devices, has been resolved and the app is now available for download in the app store.