Netflix nets Disney magic in film deal San Francisco Chronicle Copyright 2012 San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 1:16 p.m., Tuesday, December 4, 2012 Netflix has signed a multiyear accord to carry Walt Disney's animated and live-action films, marking the first time a major studio has bypassed traditional cable-TV outlets for an online distributor. The deal is a coup for Netflix Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings, who will have the opportunity to provide U.S. subscribers exclusive access to movies from Pixar, Marvel and Disney. Burbank-based Disney becomes the first major Hollywood studio to forgo a traditional premium cable TV network and show newer releases on TV for the first time through a subscription Internet service. Netflix will have exclusive U.S. rights to offer the first-run movies through its streaming service during the period normally reserved for premium TV network such as HBO, Starz and Showtime. The company, with 30 million users worldwide, plans to bid aggressively for exclusive rights to Sony Corp. films when that studio's contract with Starz ends around 2016, Sarandos said.