The Parents Television Council (PTC) is speaking out against Disney ahead of the March 16 addition of former Netflix-Marvel series “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Punisher” and “The Defenders” on Disney Plus. All of these series are significantly more violent and adult in theme and subject matter compared to the other offerings in the Disney Plus library. The PTC warned Disney that streaming these series would “destroy your brand.”
“For more than 98 years, the Walt Disney Company has been synonymous with the words Family Friendly, and I can think of no other corporation in American history that has been built more squarely on the backs – and on the wallets – of parents and families,” Tim Winter, president of the Parents Television and Media Council, said in a statement. “The company’s eponymous platform Disney Plus logically marketed itself as a family-friendly streaming service, and parents have placed their trust in Disney to deliver just that.”
Winter continued, “It seems wildly ‘off-brand’ for Disney Plus to add TV-MA and R-rated programming to this platform, ostensibly to increase subscription revenue. So what comes next, adding live striptease performances in Fantasyland at Disney World?”
Disney Plus is updating its parental control settings on March 16 in tandem with these TV-MA series’ launching on the platform. The settings include an option to select content ratings restrictions for each profile and to add a PIN to lock profiles. While the PTC “applauded” Disney Plus for “improving their parental controls,” the group said that “the mere presence of MA- and R-rated content violates the trust of families, and may well turn them off entirely.”
“There is no need for Disney Plus to compete with the explicit content on other streaming platforms,” the PTC added. “Disney is already at a competitive advantage with a streaming platform that is the safest one out there for families. Its foray into TV-MA-rated fare will forever tarnish its family friendly crown.”
The move to Disney Plus means “Daredevil” and all of the former Netflix-Marvel series will be available to stream alongside other Marvel Cinematic Universe original series such as “WandaVision” and “Loki,” plus MCU movies such as “Avengers: Endgame.”