Disney+ announced that it would be launching in 42 additional countries and 11 territories in Europe, the Middle East and Africa this summer. Specifically in Africa, it will be launching in South Africa, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. What about Nigeria? Disney did not specify the exact launch dates and pricing, but it is expected do so in the coming months.
Launched in November 2019 in USA, Canada and the Netherlands, Disney+ is currently available in 64 countries.
The full list of new countries includes Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.
The new territories include Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, St. Pierre and Miquelon Overseas Collective, Åland Islands, Sint Maarten, Svalbard & Jan Mayen, British Indian Ocean Territory, Gibraltar, Pitcairn Islands and St. Helena.
In its earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2021, Disney+ announced that it now has more than 118 million global paid subscribers. It announced that it plans to more than double the number of countries Disney+ is available in to over 160 by its fiscal 2023
Disney+ has been inching close to its biggest competitor, Netflix. It has been able to buy the rights to many strategic films and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. It is predicted that Disney+ will surpass Netflix for the title of the world’s largest SVOD service in 2025.
Overall, the report forecasts that global SVOD subscriptions will increase by 491 million between 2021 and 2026 to reach 1.64 billion. China and the US will together account for 49% of the global total by 2026, down from 56% in 2021.
