Amidst the ongoing success of her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift continues to secure lucrative deals.
Puck News, citing anonymous sources, reports that Disney has agreed to pay the singer-songwriter-entrepreneur a sum exceeding seventy-five million dollars for the exclusive broadcasting rights to “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)” on Disney+ worldwide.
Surpassing bids from Netflix and Universal Pictures, Disney emerged as the top bidder for the streaming rights of the film.
While Disney has opted not to comment on the specifics of the streaming contract, it is reported that the enhanced version of “The Eras Tour” will feature five additional songs not included in previous versions.
Despite requests for comment, representatives for Swift did not provide an immediate response.
Originally released theatrically on October 13, “The Eras Tour” amassed a staggering $261.7 million at the global box office, establishing itself as the highest-grossing concert film to date.
Filmed during the initial three performances of the Eras tour in Los Angeles starting from August 3, 2023, the theatrical release, spanning approximately two hours and forty-five minutes, omitted certain songs from the live performances.
The expanded edition of “The Eras Tour” is set to debut exclusively on Disney+ on March 15th. Among the bonus content will be “Cardigan,” a track from Swift’s 2020 album “Folklore.”
Additionally, four acoustic songs performed by Swift at Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium, not included in the original cut, will be featured.
Although the titles of these acoustic tracks remain undisclosed, they are speculated to include “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” “Maroon,” “You Are in Love,” and “I Can See You,” based on Variety’s analysis of the performances.
“We are confident that audiences will relish the opportunity to experience the electrifying ‘Taylor Swift: Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)’ at their convenience on Disney+,” stated Disney CEO Bob Iger during the company’s earnings call.
“We anticipate an enthusiastic response from viewers eager to revisit this remarkable tour.”
Swift’s documentary performance film “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions,” initially released in 2020, is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
Furthermore, Swift has inked a deal with Disney’s Searchlight Pictures to make her directorial debut with a feature film, details of which are being kept under wraps.
In a separate development, the digital release of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” was made available on December 13, coinciding with Swift’s birthday.
Distributed by Universal, this version included three bonus tracks—”Wildest Dreams,” “The Archer,” and “Long Live”—extending the film’s runtime to three hours and one minute.
Swift recently made history at the Grammy Awards by winning Album of the Year for “Midnights,” marking her record-breaking fourth win in the category.
Additionally, she announced her upcoming studio album titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” adding to the excitement surrounding her already eventful week.
According to forecasts by Pollstar, a leading journal in the live music industry, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour generated an estimated one billion dollars in gross ticket sales in 2023, with projections suggesting that the tour will surpass two billion dollars by 2024.