Mightier mouse

The Disney-branded service, expected in 2019, will have classic and upcoming movies from the studio, shows from Disney Channel, and the Star Wars and Marvel movies.

With Fox video, the new service could have more titles than Netflix, Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar said. Buying Fox’s FX networks will add edgy TV shows that complement Disney’s long list of kid-friendly series and films, he said.

Disney also plans an ESPN Plus service for next year. It isn’t a duplicate of the ESPN TV network, but it will stream tennis matches along with major-league baseball, hockey and soccer games, as well as college sports.

It might be able to add more sports through Fox’s regional sports networks – cable channels that show popular sports in the viewer’s region.

Disney also owns Marvel, but not all the Marvel characters. It’s made movies starring Thor, Doctor Strange and Captain America and the Avengers crew. But the X-Men are at Fox.

Bringing them home under one roof could mean movies with more of the characters together. Sony will still have rights to Marvel’s Spider-Man, though a deal with Disney lets Spider-Man appear in Disney movies.

AP Business Writer Michelle Chapman in West Orange, New Jersey, and AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.