THE CHOSEN to Stream on Disney+
By Movieguide® Contributor
Seasons 1-3 of THE CHOSEN have found a new home on Disney+.
“Disney+ is the latest platform to stream the series. Fans of the Bible show can find episodes on other streaming sites, like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, the Angel app, BYUtv, and The Chosen app,” Faithwire reported.
Inside the Magic reported on the platform’s addition and referred to it as a “partnership” between THE CHOSEN and Disney.
THE CHOSEN Director Dallas Jenkins clarified on his socials: “Not exactly a ‘partnership,’ but Seasons 1-3 are getting to another new audience.”
The Biblical series “might…be a tremendous win for Disney’s image,” Inside the Magic said. With Disney’s recent Hulu merge, “Disney+ subscribers can also find a large selection of controversial media, such as AMERICAN HORROR STORY, LAW AND ORDER: SVU, and RICK AND MORTY. The decision to include THE CHOSEN amongst these titles might help win some more conservative subscribers back toward the mouse.”
“In March, Jenkins released a video explaining the show’s previous model of making episodes immediately available for free ‘wasn’t proving to be sustainable,’ given cost-of-production increases as the series’ quality improves. Additionally, much of the revenue generated by theatrical releases is going toward the remaining three seasons of the seven-season show,” Faithwire reported.
Season 4 of THE CHOSEN isn’t available to stream yet, but Jenkins believes it will be available in less than three months.
Movieguide® reported on April 22:
“We cannot release Season 4 to streaming now, and there will be a delay longer than we anticipated and hoped for,” Jenkins said. “There are some legal matters that we are dealing with right now that are hopefully being resolved.”
He explained that he couldn’t “share any more details,” but said, “The goal is to have them resolved so that we can, long-term and short-term, better serve you, ensure the show remains free forever and gets to over a billion people, and also allows us to be sustainable forever.”
THE CHOSEN acquisition comes eight years after Disney and a few other Hollywood companies filed a suit against VidAngel (now called Angel Studios), which distributes THE CHOSEN.
VidAngel provided a way to filter immoral content out of TV and movies.
“At the time, the movie studios argued VidAngel violated copyright law because the company broke encryption codes on DVDs and Blu-ray disks to alter content,” Faithwire said.
“VidAngel said what they did was legal under a carveout provided by the Family Movie Act, which permits the creation of technologies to “sanitize” potentially offensive content on DVDs and streaming entertainment,” Faithwire said. “Ultimately, though, VidAngel was ordered by a Los Angeles jury to pay more than $62 million in damages — $75,000 for each of the 819 films its platform streamed, plus $1 million for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.”
In 2020, the companies reached a settlement, and Angel Studios must pay a total of $10 million over the ten years.
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