New Star Wars streaming content to get delayed European release

Disney+, the new streaming service that will host The Mandalorian, the untitled Cassian Andor series and new episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, will not be coming to European screens in 2019.

Next year, Disney+ will launch in the USA, with the new streaming service bringing Disney films and series to audiences without the need for third party services such as Netflix. The titles that will be available on the platform include several that have excited Star Wars fans, including The Mandalorian, new episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and an untitled Cassian Andor series.

In an interview with Capital Magazine, Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Division President Kevin Mayer confirmed that fans in Europe will have to wait, “Our future Disney streaming service will be launched at the end of 2019 in the United States, and a little later in Europe,” he said.

FanthaTracks highlights the interview while giving some background that could explain the reason behind the delay. The European Parliament voted for legislation that would introduce a quote system for streaming services, insisting that at least 30% of their European catalogues are made up of European content. When this is ratified by the EU and becomes law, EU member states can set the quota anywhere between 30 and 40%.

The website suggests that this will lead to Disney acquiring local production companies as Amazon has, in order to increase locally made content that can then meet the threshold. The vast majority of content produced by Disney is US based.

Despite the progress made in the last couple of decades in synchronising release dates, it seems that fans outside of the US are going to have to find the will to be patient.

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