To Keep Viewers, Disney Plans a New Streaming Concept: Old-Style TV Channels

In television, what’s old is new again. After more than a decade of growth in streaming services that make viewers click on shows they want to watch “on demand,” a growing number of streaming services are offering new “channels” that function more like old-style TV, with a continuous, scheduled stream of shows.

Disney is the latest to expand in this market. The company plans to create a series of such channels within its Disney+ streaming service that show programming in specific genres, including either Star Wars or Marvel-branded shows, according to people involved in the planning. Lots of other companies have already launched such channels, although typically as free offerings rather than within a subscription service. That includes Disney, which has launched similar channels within its ABC.com app, such as one dedicated to its “20/20” newsmagazine program and another to the daytime soap opera “General Hospital.”