The feud between Disney and Google kept all Disney movies off Google's digital shelves for a month. The parties have now reconciled and the movies are back, but trust has taken a serious hit.
FlatpanelsHD wrote earlier this month about the dispute, which began as a disagreement over TV channels in the US but quickly escalated when Disney pulled all of its movies – from Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Fox etc. – from Google's platforms worldwide.
Customers kept access to movies they had already purchased, but it was no longer possible to rent or buy Disney movies through Google's movie store on Google TV and YouTube.
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Reconciliation brings the movies back
Disney and Google reached an agreement on TV channels a couple of weeks ago, but it took another two weeks before movies were restored globally. Disney movies are now starting to reappear on Google, reports 9to5Google.
FlatpanelsHD's check today confirms the same. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus – both missing earlier this month – can once again be bought and rented around the world.
Disney movies were removed from Google/YouTube's digital shelves for a full month. Photo: FlatpanelsHDGoogle will return to Movies Anywhere
The dispute also led to Google being removed from Movies Anywhere, the US service that syncs purchased movies across digital stores. Europe does not have an equivalent.
Google will soon return to Movies Anywhere as well, the parties have confirmed.
Eroded trust
The new agreement between Disney and Google ends a month-long conflict that ultimately hurt users the most, reportedly because Google wanted to pay Disney and other partners less than before.
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Trust in both companies, however, has taken a major blow. When will digital movies disappear next time, and why should customers be held hostage in disputes like this? Can you still trust buying movies from Google in the future?
- Source: 9to5Google
