Doctor Who fans are missing out due to 'frustrating' streaming issues

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

Doctor Who season 14 became the first season to release on Disney Plus, but some viewers are still losing out due to tricky streaming rights.

Disney Plus' acquisition of Doctor Who Season 14 was a huge deal. For the first time in the show's 61-year history, UK audiences were able to watch new episodes at the same time as international viewers.

It's an ideal broadcast format for a new era, and it even inspired the BBC to rename season 14 “Season 1”, encouraging newcomers to feel more comfortable when watching. listening for the first time. However, not everyone has success with the new Who streaming services, especially when it comes to watching classic episodes of Doctor Who.

In the UK this problem does not exist. The entire Doctor Who catalog can be found on BBC iPlayer, with all three eras – the classic, 2005's NuWho and the 2023 rebrand – available to stream at any time. However, US and international viewers have a problem, as there is no room to stream all the episodes at once.

On Reddit, these fans lamented the lack of a consistent viewing method, with one user asking: “What do you think about Doctor Who streaming being a bit messy and requiring about 4-5 different services?”

“I know in particular that the old series is probably a rights management mess, even more so for 3rd party entertainment efforts, but why do we need BritBox, Tubi, Max and Disney+ if we want all the content of Doctor Who can be streamed? Is this really necessary?”

Disney Plus only offers the 60th anniversary specials and season 14. However, everything above is scattered across platforms including Tubi, BritBox, and Max. This means that if you want to watch the entire show from start to finish, you'll be all over the place – and that's not even including the TV movie and various specials.

Others were quick to agree, with one comment noting: “With the whole Whoniverse brand and everything being brought to iPlayer in the UK, it's insane that there isn't apparently had no effort to make this happen on Disney+ internationally. »

“I don't understand why people outside the UK can't just pay to access iPlayer,” wrote another.

“It must be incredibly frustrating if you can't use iPlayer,” another agreed. “I will point out, however, that the first series of Doctor Who is no longer on iPlayer due to rights issues. So even for the BBC, it’s complicated.

Another simply said: “This is a huge pain in the ass.” Here in New Zealand, as far as I know, the only DW we can watch (legally) is this current season on D+.

As Disney Plus cements its claim to the new adventures of Doctor Who, they may repurchase the streaming rights once they expire on other platforms. Until then, be sure to find out how to watch Doctor Who Season 14, so you don't miss anything new.

Don't miss our 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday' recap and find out what to expect in the finale with our guides to the biggest Doctor Who Season 14 theories, plus every Doctor Who Season 14 villain explained.