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Spider-Man: No Way Home on Disney Plus — when it could arrive

Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in the poster for Spider-Man No Way Home
(Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

Editor's note: Eager to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home online, or re-watch it? Well, we've got good news for you about its digital release.

Wish you could stream Spider-Man: No Way Home on Disney Plus, and not have to go to a theater? We could tell you that you're not alone (some of the TG staff agrees), but that does nobody any good. What's more important is setting expectations for when it will hit.

Disney Plus may get Spider-Man No Way Home after Netflix

The shared-ownership is the biggest holdup, and it's the reason why we're unsure of when No Way Home will go to Disney Plus. Heck, the two previous Sony Spider-Man MCU movies aren't on Disney Plus either — Homecoming is streaming for Spectrum members and Far From Home is VOD only. So we'd normally say you shouldn't hold your breath. But Sony and Disney Plus (and Netflix too) are actually starting to work together.

The second big complication is that Sony has not one, but two, streaming deals in place (neither applies to Spider-Man: No Way Home, though). Sony movies released between 2022 and 2027 will first stream on Netflix after their time in theaters (often 45 days) and video on-demand (buy or rent) services. 

If we assume No Way Home could follow the format of that deal, this is how we get the mid-2023 window. Netflix will have Sony's movies for what's known as the Pay 1 window — an 18 month period of time after their theatrical run. 

Then, those movies come to Disney Plus, thanks to a deal Sony and Disney made in April. However, this, again, doesn't exactly apply to Spider-Man: No Way Home, a 2021 release. Which means there's one more streaming platform to consider.

Spider-Man: No Way Home will go to Starz first

The tale of the contractual tape shows that Sony's movies have gone to the premium cable service Starz first. This is based on a deal that has been around for years, with its most recent window being from 2017 to 2021. If Sony is held to that deal, which seems as likely as anything, we wouldn't be surprised to need a Starz subscription to stream No Way Home without buying it on demand.

Why did the Sony/Starz deal end? Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch reportedly told the MoffettNathanon 8th Annual Media and Communications Summit that the deal wasn't compelling enough, as Sony's hits were too few and far between.

Either way, while you wait to see the film, we've got every Spider-Man movie ranked — including No Way Home — and if you're down for a spoiler alert? We've broken down the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scenes.

Henry T. Casey

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.