Disney+ to launch in South Africa ‘this winter’

Walt Disney Co has confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in the South African streaming space: Disney+, its streaming offering, will launch in the local market “this winter”.

Disney+ will be launched in 42 new countries and 11 territories at the same time. New countries include South Africa, Turkey, Poland and the United Arab Emirates, the company said in a statement.

Walt Disney Co has not yet disclosed pricing for Disney+ in South Africa – in the US, the service goes for $7.99/month or $79.99/year.

The move by marks a big expansion for Disney+ as it chases bigger rival Netflix for global market share. Until now, Disney+ has only been launched in 18 countries worldwide.

Disney+ had 118.1 million subscribers worldwide as of 2 October 2021, compared to Netflix’s most recent subscriber count of 221.8 million as of 31 December 2021.

Disney+ will be launched in Egypt, the only other country in Africa, outside South Africa, that will get the service for now. Interestingly, it will also be available on the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena (a British protectorate), where Google recently deployed its new Equiano submarine cable system.

The impending South African launch adds to an already rich slate of streaming content services available to local viewers that have high-speed Internet into their homes.

Already, South Africans can choose between a wide number of both homegrown and international streaming platforms, among them Netflix, BritBox from the BBC and ITV and Amazon Prime Video. Local streaming services include Showmax from MultiChoice Group and eMedia Holding’s eVOD.  – © 2022 NewsCentral Media

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