Disney+ is an American-based online streaming platform owned by Disney.
After Disney Branded Television made a deal with BBC Studios in 2022, Disney+ became the exclusive distributor of all upcoming episodes and seasons Doctor Who on television outside the UK and Ireland.[1] Episodes began airing on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland starting with the worldwide premiere of the 2023 special The Star Beast.
This meant that new episodes would not be broadcast on traditional television (outside the region served by BBC One). This replaced, in part, longtime distribution contracts with BBC America[2] and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[3]
Available content
Presently, the service's available Doctor Who content consists exclusively of those produced under Disney's deal, excluding episodes that pre-date the 60th Anniversary Specials.
Said Anniversary Specials are packaged and presented independently from the standard season run, under the labels of "Special 1", "Special 2", and "Special 3". The Church on Ruby Road is, uniquely, presented on the service twice, as an independently-packaged special labelled as "Special 4", in keeping with its three predecessors, and within the regular series as the "first episode" of Season 1.