Disney

Well-received big-budget Alien Earth TV series gets a second season

alien, Alien: Earth, culture, Disney, FX, Hulu, Noah Hawley / Tim Belzer / November 12, 2025

Alien Earth will return to FX (and Disney+ and Hulu) for a second season, thanks to a new deal between Disney and series creator Noah Hawley.

The new season has no air date yet, but we do know one thing about it: It will be shot in London. The first season was shot in Thailand, and most of the story took place in Southeast Asia, so the change in shooting location suggests a new setting for much of the next season. Production on season two will reportedly begin next year.

For those who watched season one to its conclusion, season two probably seemed like a sure thing; the finale resolved many of the core conflicts of that first batch of episodes, but also was clearly intended to be the launching point for a new storyline in season two.

That finale viewer’s instinct is probably right—there was likely to be a season two, but the real question was whether Hawley would return as its creative lead. That was contingent on dealmaking between Hawley, FX, and Disney Entertainment Television. That deal has been made, reportedly to the tune of nine figures.

Well-received big-budget Alien Earth TV series gets a second season Read More »

YouTube TV’s Disney blackout reminds users that they don’t own what they stream

Disney, DVR, Google, streaming, Tech, youtube, youtube TV / Rejus Almole / November 5, 2025

“I don’t know (or care) which side is responsible for this, but the DVR is not VOD, it is your recording, and shows recorded before the dispute should be available. This is a hard lesson for us all,” an apparently affected customer wrote on Reddit this week.

For current or former cable subscribers, this experience isn’t new. Carrier disputes have temporarily and permanently killed cable subscribers’ access to many channels over the years. And since the early 2000s, many cable companies have phased out DVRs with local storage in favor of cloud-based DVRs. Since then, cable companies have been able to revoke customers’ access to DVR files if, for example, the customer stopped paying for the channel from which the content was recorded. What we’re seeing with YouTube TV’s DVR feature is one of several ways that streaming services mirror cable companies.

Google exits Movies Anywhere

In a move that appears to be best described as tit for tat, Google has removed content purchased via Google Play and YouTube from Movies Anywhere, a Disney-owned unified platform that lets people access digital video purchases from various distributors, including Amazon Prime Video and Fandango.

In removing users’ content, Google may gain some leverage in its discussions with Disney, which is reportedly seeking a larger carriage fee from YouTube TV. The content removals, however, are just one more pain point of the fragmented streaming landscape customers are already dealing with.

Customers inconvenienced

As of this writing, Google and Disney have yet to reach an agreement. On Monday, Google publicly rejected Disney’s request to restore ABC to YouTube TV for yesterday’s election day, although the company showed a willingness to find a way to quickly bring back ABC and ESPN (“the channels that people want,” per Google). Disney has escalated things by making its content unavailable to rent or purchase from all Google platforms.

Google is trying to appease customers by saying it will give YouTube TV subscribers a $20 credit if Disney “content is unavailable for an extended period of time.” Some people online have reported receiving a $10 credit already.

Regardless of how this saga ends, the immediate effects have inconvenienced customers of both companies. People subscribe to streaming services and rely on digital video purchases and recordings for easy, instant access, which Google and Disney’s disagreement has disrupted. The squabble has also served as another reminder that in the streaming age, you don’t really own anything.

YouTube TV’s Disney blackout reminds users that they don’t own what they stream Read More »

Disney+ gets HDR10+ via “over 1,000” Hulu titles

Disney, Disney Plus, HDR, Hulu, streaming, Tech / Paul Patrick / October 30, 2025

Disney+ has started streaming movies and shows in the HDR10+ format.

Support is somewhat limited for now. Only certain content from Hulu, which The Walt Disney Company acquired in June, is available in HDR10+. In an announcement today, Samsung said that “over 1,000” Hulu titles are available in HDR10+ and that “additional Disney+” content will support HDR10+ “in the future.” Previously, Disney+ only supported the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR formats.

Samsung TVs are the first devices to gain the ability to stream HDR10+ content from Disney+, according to an announcement from Samsung today. The electronics company said that its Samsung Crystal UHD TVs and above from 2018 onward, including its OLED TVs, The Frame TVs, QLED TVs, and Micro RGB TV, support HDR10+.

The Disney+ app on Apple’s tvOS also lists HDR10+, site FlatpanelsHD pointed out.

Hulu started offering some content in HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision in 2021. Now that Disney owns Hulu and has created a unified app with both Disney+ and Hulu content, Disney+ is also able to offer a restricted number of titles in HDR10+.

Today’s announcement also caters to Samsung TV users, since Samsung TVs don’t support Dolby Vision. By offering HDR10+, Disney+ can make itself more appealing to the many home theater enthusiasts who own a TV from Samsung, which is the world’s top-selling TV brand.

Disney+ gets HDR10+ via “over 1,000” Hulu titles Read More »

Hulu’s days look numbered, but there’s reason for Disney to keep it around

Disney, Hulu, streaming, Tech / Mike M. / August 7, 2025

“When we gave people an opportunity to have a more seamless experience between Disney+ and Hulu, we saw engagement increasing,” Iger said today. “And we would hope that when we take this next step, which is basically full integration, that that engagement will go up even more.”

The initial integration of Hulu, which previously used a different tech platform than the 12-year-younger Disney+ app, required the reworking of “everything from login tools to advertising platforms, to metadata and personalization systems,” as well as moving over 100,000 individual assets/artwork, The Verge reported in March. At the time, Disney said that it was still working on re-encoding all of Hulu’s video files to work on Disney+ so that there could be one master library.

The updated app coming in 2026 seems to be the culmination of all this work. Iger also pointed to work around the app’s recommendations, including what users see on the Disney+ homepage. Additionally, the app has added more streams, such as one that plays The Simpsons 24/7.

The updated app also follows Disney’s purchase of Comcast’s remaining stake in Hulu. (Disney ended up paying about $9 billion for it, compared to the approximately $14 billion that Comcast wanted.)

During today’s earnings call, Iger said the updated user experience will help the profitability and margins of Disney’s streaming business (which also includes ESPN+) by boosting engagement, reducing subscriber churn, increasing advertising revenue, and driving operational efficiencies.

Hulu still has value

It seems likely that Disney will eventually strive for everyone to subscribe to a beefed-up Disney+ that incorporates stuff that used to be on Hulu. But there’s also value in keeping Hulu around for a while.

According to Disney’s Q3 2025 earnings report [PDF], Hulu has 55.5 million subscribers. That makes Hulu less than half the size of Disney+ (127.8 million subscribers), but it also means that ending Hulu subscriptions would put Disney at risk of losing millions of streaming subscribers. Today, though, it already makes little financial sense to buy standalone subscriptions to Disney+ or Hulu. A subscription starts at $10 per month for each app. A subscription to a Disney+ and Hulu bundle is only $11/month. Of course, Disney could change how it prices its streaming services at any time.

Hulu’s days look numbered, but there’s reason for Disney to keep it around Read More »

Jared Leto is the ultimate soldier in new TRON: Ares trailer

culture, Disney, Trailers, Tron: Ares / Kris Guyer / July 18, 2025

San Diego Comic-Con is coming up next week, and Disney is getting ready for its big presentation by releasing a new trailer for TRON: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning.

(Spoilers for TRON: Legacy below.)

As previously reported, TRON: Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) from the original film, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid’s malevolent ruling program, Clu. He brought with him Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a naturally occurring isomorphic algorithm targeted for extinction by Clu.

Disney greenlit a third film in the franchise in October 2010, intended to pick up where Legacy left off and follow the adventures of Sam and Quorra as Sam took full control of his father’s company, ENCOM. However, by 2015, the studio had canceled the project, reportedly due to the dismal box office performance of Tomorrowland. By 2020, the project had been revived and reimagined as a standalone reboot rather than a Legacy sequel, although the main AI, Ares, appeared in earlier (pre-reboot) versions of the script. One pandemic and a couple of Hollywood strikes later, the finished film is finally set to hit theaters this fall.

The official premise is succinct: “TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.” Jared Leto stars as Ares, with Evan Peters and Greta Lee playing Julian Dillinger and Eve Kim, respectively. The cast also includes Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, and Gillian Anderson. Bridges is returning as Kevin Flynn. Nine Inch Nails composed the soundtrack.

Jared Leto is the ultimate soldier in new TRON: Ares trailer Read More »

Hollywood studios target AI image generator in copyright lawsuit

AI, AI development tools, AI ethics, AI image generator, AI image generators, AI law, AI lawsuits, Biz & IT, copyright, Darth Vader, Disney, entertainment industry, generative ai, Hollywood, image synthesis, intellectual property, machine learning, MidJourney, Policy, star wars, universal / Rejus Almole / June 12, 2025

The legal action follows similar moves in other creative industries, with more than a dozen major news companies suing AI company Cohere in February over copyright concerns. In 2023, a group of visual artists sued Midjourney for similar reasons.

Studios claim Midjourney knows what it’s doing

Beyond allowing users to create these images, the studios argue that Midjourney actively promotes copyright infringement by displaying user-generated content featuring copyrighted characters in its “Explore” section. The complaint states this curation “show[s] that Midjourney knows that its platform regularly reproduces Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works.”

The studios also allege that Midjourney has technical protection measures available that could prevent outputs featuring copyrighted material but has “affirmatively chosen not to use copyright protection measures to limit the infringement.” They cite Midjourney CEO David Holz admitting the company “pulls off all the data it can, all the text it can, all the images it can” for training purposes.

According to Axios, Disney and NBCUniversal attempted to address the issue with Midjourney before filing suit. While the studios say other AI platforms agreed to implement measures to stop IP theft, Midjourney “continued to release new versions of its Image Service” with what Holz allegedly described as “even higher quality infringing images.”

“We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content,” said Kim Harris, NBCUniversal’s executive vice president and general counsel, in a statement.

This lawsuit signals a new front in Hollywood’s conflict over AI. Axios highlights this shift: While actors and writers have fought to protect their name, image, and likeness from studio exploitation, now the studios are taking on tech companies over intellectual property concerns. Other major studios, including Amazon, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony, and Warner Bros., have not yet joined the lawsuit, though they share membership with Disney and Universal in the Motion Picture Association.

Hollywood studios target AI image generator in copyright lawsuit Read More »

Amid rising prices, Disney+ and Hulu offer subscribers some freebies

Disney, Disney Plus, Hulu, streaming, Tech / Kris Guyer / May 30, 2025

With streaming providers frequently raising prices, subscribers often feel like they’re paying more for the same service—or a lesser version, depending on what’s available to watch that month. In a unique move, Disney is introducing a small, potential financial benefit to Disney+ and Hulu subscribers in the form of some third-party discounts, freebies, trials, and contests.

As of today, Disney+ subscribers can log into Disney’s Disney+ Perks website with their streaming credentials to get access to a revolving selection of discounts and freebies. When I logged in today, I was met with options for several free trials, including a six-month one to DoorDash’s premium subscription offering, a three-month trial to Clear+, and a two-month trial to Duolingo’s premium subscription.

Disney+ subscribers can also get discounts, including to Adidas’ online marketplaces and “select” Disney Resorts Collection hotels (if you stay at least two nights, with most availability occurring between June 29 and July 31). There are also some free virtual rewards for Disney-owned games and the ability to enter sweepstakes, like for going to the premiere of the movie Freakier Friday.

Disney, which announced in November 2023 that it would take full control of Hulu from Comcast, said that Hulu-only subscribers will also get a perks program, starting on June 2. Those perks will differ from those of Disney+ and initially include chances to win tickets to Lollapalooza, San Diego Comic-Con, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, unspecified “perks” from Microsoft, LG, and others, and chances “to win items from and inspired by Hulu” originals, like The Handmaid’s Tale.

Amid rising prices, Disney+ and Hulu offer subscribers some freebies Read More »

Labor dispute erupts over AI-voiced Darth Vader in Fortnite

AI, AI ethics, AI voices, Darth Vader, Disney, epic games, fortnite, gaming, James Earl Jones, machine learning, Policy, star wars, voice actors, voice synthesis / Mike M. / May 20, 2025

For voice actors who previously portrayed Darth Vader in video games, the Fortnite feature starkly illustrates how AI voice synthesis could reshape their profession. While James Earl Jones created the iconic voice for films, at least 54 voice actors have performed as Vader in various media games over the years when Jones wasn’t available—work that could vanish if AI replicas become the industry standard.

The union strikes back

SAG-AFTRA’s labor complaint (which can be read online here) doesn’t focus on the AI feature’s technical problems or on permission from the Jones estate, which explicitly authorized the use of a synthesized version of his voice for the character in Fortnite. The late actor, who died in 2024, had signed over his Darth Vader voice rights before his death.

Instead, the union’s grievance centers on labor rights and collective bargaining. In the NLRB filing, SAG-AFTRA alleges that Llama Productions “failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the union by making unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment, without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain, by utilizing AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work on the Interactive Program Fortnite.”

The action comes amid SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing interactive media strike, which began in July 2024 after negotiations with video game producers stalled primarily over AI protections. The strike continues, with more than 100 games signing interim agreements, while others, including those from major publishers like Epic, remain in dispute.

Labor dispute erupts over AI-voiced Darth Vader in Fortnite Read More »

The empire strikes back with F-bombs: AI Darth Vader goes rogue with profanity, slurs

AI, Biz & IT, Darth Vader, Disney, epic games, fortnite, gaming, James Earl Jones, machine learning / Mike M. / May 17, 2025

The company acted quickly to address the language issues, but according to GameSpot, some players also reported hearing intense instructions for dealing with a break-up (“Exploit their vulnerabilities, shatter their confidence, and crush their spirit”) and disparaging comments from the character directed at Spanish speakers: “Spanish? A useful tongue for smugglers and spice traders,” AI Vader said. “Its strategic value is minimal.”

To be fair to Epic’s attempt at an AI implementation, Darth Vader is a deeply evil character (i.e. murders sandpeople, hates sand), and the remarks seem consistent with his twisted and sadistic personality. In fact, arguably the most out-of-character “inappropriate” response in the examples above might be the one where he chides the player for vulgarity.

On Friday afternoon, Epic Games sent out an email seeking to reassure parents who may have come across the news about the misbehaving AI character. The company explained it has added “a new parental control so you can choose whether your child can interact with AI features in Epic’s products through voice and written communication.” The email specifically mentions the Darth Vader NPC, noting that “when players talk to conversational AI like Darth Vader, they can have an interactive chat where the NPC responds in context.” For children under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, Epic says the feature defaults to off and requires parental activation through either the Fortnite main menu or Epic Account Settings.

These aren’t the words you’re looking for

Getting an AI character to match the tone or backstory of an established fictional character isn’t as easy as it might seem. Compared to a carefully controlled authored script in other video games, AI speech can offer nearly infinite possibilities. Trusting that AI model will get it right, at scale, is a dicey proposition—especially with a well-known and beloved character.

The empire strikes back with F-bombs: AI Darth Vader goes rogue with profanity, slurs Read More »

Disney, Fox, and WBD give up on controversial sports streaming app Venu

antitrust, DirectTV, DISH, Disney, Fox, sports, streaming, Uncategorized, warner bros. discovery / Mike M. / January 11, 2025

Although Fubo’s lawsuit against the JV appears to be settled, other rivals in sports television seemed intent on continuing to fight Venu.

In a January 9 letter (PDF) to US District Judge Margaret M. Garnett of the Southern District in New York, who granted Fubo’s premliminary injunction against Venu, Michael Hartman, general counsel and chief external affairs officer for DirectTV, wrote that Fubo’s settlement “does nothing to resolve the underlying antitrust violations at issue.” Hartman asked the court to maintain the preliminary injunction against the app’s launch.

“The preliminary injunction has protected consumers and distributors alike from the JV Defendant’s scheme to ‘capture demand,’ ‘suppress’ potentially competitive sports bundles, and impose consumer price hikes,” the letter says, adding that DirectTV would continue to explore its options regarding the JV “and other anticompetitive harms.”

Similarly, Pantelis Michalopoulos, counsel for EchoStar Corporation, which owns Dish, penned a letter (PDF) to Garnett on January 7, claiming the members of the JV “purchased their way out of their antitrust violation.” Michalopoulos added that the JV defendants “should not be able to pay their way into erasing the Court’s carefully reasoned decision” to temporarily block Venu’s launch.

In addition to Fubo, DirecTV, and Dish, ACA Connects (a trade association for small- to medium-sized telecommunication service providers) publicly expressed concerns about Venu. NFL was also reported to be worried about the implications of the venture.

Now, the three giants behind Venu are throwing in the towel and abandoning an app that could have garnered a lot of subscribers tired of hopping around apps, channels, and subscriptions to watch all the sports content they wanted. But they’re also avoiding a lot of litigation and potential backlash in the process.

Disney, Fox, and WBD give up on controversial sports streaming app Venu Read More »

Disney makes antitrust problem go away by buying majority stake in Fubo

Disney, Hulu, mergers, sports, streaming, Tech / Mike M. / January 6, 2025

Fubo’s about-face

Fubo’s merger with Disney represents a shocking about-face for the sports-streaming provider, which previously had raised alarms (citing Citi research) about Disney’s ownership of 54 percent of the US sports rights market—ESPN (26.8 percent), Fox (17.3 percent), and WBD (9.9 percent). Fubo successfully got a preliminary injunction against Venu in August, and a trial was scheduled for October 2025.

Fubo CEO David Gandler said in February that Disney, Fox, and WBD “are erecting insurmountable barriers that will effectively block any new competitors.

“Each of these companies has consistently engaged in anticompetitive practices that aim to monopolize the market, stifle any form of competition, create higher pricing for subscribers, and cheat consumers from deserved choice,” Gandler also said at the time.

Now, set to be a Disney company, Fubo is singing a new tune, with its announcement claiming that the merger “will enhance consumer choice by making available a broad set of programming offerings.”

In a statement today, Gandler added that the merger will allow Fubo to “provide consumers with greater choice and flexibility” and “to scale effectively,” while adding that the deal “strengthens Fubo’s balance sheet” and sets Fubo up for “positive cash flow.”

Ars Technica reached out to Fubo about its previously publicized antitrust and anticompetitive concerns, whether or not those concerns had been addressed, and new concerns that it has settled its lawsuit in favor of its own business needs rather than over a resolution of customer choice problems. Jennifer Press, Fubo SVP of communications, responded to our questions with a statement, saying in part:

We filed an antitrust suit against the Venu Sports partners last year because that product was intended to be exclusive. As its partners announced last year, consumers would only have access to the Venu content package from Venu, which would limit choice and competitive pricing.

The definitive agreement that Fubo signed with Disney today will actually bring more choice to the market. As part of the deal, Fubo extended carriage agreements with Disney and also Fox, enabling Fubo to create a new Sports and Broadcast service and other genre-based content packages. Additionally, as the antitrust litigation has been settled, the Venu Sports partners can choose to launch that product if they wish. The launch of these bundles will enhance consumer choice by making available a broad set of programming offerings.

“… a total deception”

Some remain skeptical about Disney buying out a company that was suing it over antitrust concerns.

Disney makes antitrust problem go away by buying majority stake in Fubo Read More »

It’s January, which means another batch of copyrighted work is now public domain

culture, Disney, Mickey Mouse, Policy, Public domain / Rejus Almole / January 2, 2025

It’s January, and for people in the US, that means the same thing it’s meant every January since 2019: a new batch of previously copyrighted works have entered the public domain. People can publish, modify, and adapt these works and their characters without needing to clear rights or pay royalties.

This year’s introductions cover books, plays, movies, art, and musical compositions from 1929, plus sound recordings from 1924. Most works released from 1923 onward are protected for 95 years after their release under the terms of 1998’s Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. This law prevented new works from entering the public domain for two decades.

As it does every year, the Duke University Center for the Study of the Public Domain has a rundown of the most significant works entering the public domain this year.

Significant novels include Ernest Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms, the first English translation of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury.

Many of the films on the list showcase the then-new addition of sound to movies, including the first all-color feature-length film with sound throughout (Warner Bros.’ On With the Show!) and the first films with sound from directors like Cecil B. DeMille and Alfred Hitchcock. Buster Keaton’s final silent film, Spite Marriage, is also on the list. Musical compositions include notables like Singin’ in the Rain and Tiptoe Through the Tulips.

On the Disney front, we get the Silly Symphony short The Skeleton Dance, as well as a dozen more Mickey Mouse shorts. These include the first films to depict Mickey wearing white gloves and the first to show him talking—as we covered last year, it’s only the 1920s-era versions of these characters who have entered the public domain, so each new version is significant for people looking to use these characters without drawing the ire of Disney and other copyright holders.

It’s January, which means another batch of copyrighted work is now public domain Read More »