Disney has announced that it plans to close 100 of its TV channels this year, in a bid to move consumers towards its streaming platform Disney+.

Why Is Disney Closing So Many Channels?

Speaking at JPMorgan Chase's conference on May 24, Disney's CEO Bob Chapek commented that the company plans to close 100 TV channels in 2021 at "a robust rate".

These channels exist in international markets, so the timing of when they will close will depend on when existing contracts expire. There are also some markets that Disney+ currently isn't available in, so it's likely channels in those countries will close once Disney+ is up and running.

For example, the UK's Fox channel will close in June, with flagship content like The Walking Dead being shifted to Disney+ under the more adult-orientated Star brand.

Disney closed 30 channels in 2020 and Chapek said that closing channels and migrating content to Disney+ "continues to be a core strategy as [Disney] pivot toward direct-to-consumer."

This is because the company wants to "be on the front end" of the consumer trend to watch online, rather than through traditional TV.

While Disney+ growth did slow after a price hike, the company aren't worried. It expects subscriber numbers to rise again once more original content lands on the platform.