Bloomberg reports that Disney is seeking to acquire streaming rights to the next season of Doctor Who.

Should an agreement be reached it would air in the UK on the BBC and also stream on Disney+ globally.

From an Australian perspective we'd regard Doctor Who as an ABC show, like many other BBC programs.

For the benefit of international readers, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is our equivalent of the BBC.

A Disney deal might end that longstanding tradition and presumably similar arrangements the BBC has with other countries.

What do we think of the idea?

It's quite strange to think of Doctor Who potentially leaving the ABC but exclusivity is the whole point of streaming services.

An exception for the BBC itself would obviously have to be a part of any deal but everyone else would be out.

Was Star Trek's withdrawal to Paramount and Netflix good for that franchise?

Discovery was terrible so not actually a loss but had it been good, locking new Star Trek content behind a paywall had the potential to limit its audience, social impact and overall relevance.

And as it happens, while having a scroll through the new-to sections of all the streamers recently, we saw Doctor Who seasons 1 to 12 (i.e. all but the most recent, 13th) on Binge.

Slightly interesting but not truly blogworthy by itself.

Previously streaming coverage of Doctor Who in Australia has been scattered, with different seasons on different services and even now Prime Video has seasons 5 to 10.

Having them all together is better for viewers and also Doctor Who.

Building a following is easier if your show is easier to access.

Bloomberg only speak of the upcoming series - not all of them.

If Disney or another service go for Doctor Who we'd like to see them go for the whole package, not just the new stuff.

Filming is underway for the next season of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa and is expected to premiere next year.

Jodie Whittaker's final appearance in the titular role is scheduled for October this year.

[ Main Image: Disney Junior - The Mystery Patient. Credit: Disney via YouTube. ]

References

Gbagbo, E. and Palmeri, C. (July 21, 2022). Disney Is in Talks With the BBC to Stream ‘Doctor Who’ Series. Bloomberg.