Disney Plus takes its fight to Netflix by expanding into 53 new markets
The streaming service will arrive in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and more regions this summer.
What you need to know- Disney Plus plans to expand into more than 50 new markets this year.
- The streaming service aims to reach more than 160 countries by fiscal 2023.
- It is expected to begin expanding in various regions this summer, including South Africa, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Disney Plus surpassed more than 50 million subscribers in April 2020, just five months after its launch in the United States across various platforms, including laptops and Android phones. Less than a year and a half later, the streaming service topped 100 million subscribers, though it still trailed Netflix's subscriber base.
The company is now going after its toughest rival with a planned expansion in 53 new markets this summer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Plus will launch in 42 countries and 11 territories. These include the following:
- Aland Islands
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Bahrain
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- French Polynesia
- French Southern Territories
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Palestine
- Pitcairn Islands
- Poland
- Qatar
- Romania
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Sint Maarten
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- St Helena
- St Pierre and Miquelon Overseas Collective
- Svalbard & Jan Mayen
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Vatican City
- Yemen
While the list looks promising for the future growth of Disney Plus, there's no set date yet for its availability in each region. The price remains a mystery as well, though it's expected to vary by country.
Disney Plus is clearly taking the fight to major streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO Max with a massive expansion. More importantly, the report stated that the service intends to use this strategy to address its slowing subscriber growth in North America.
Last week, The Walt Disney Company also introduced a new international content group along with its plan "to more than double the number of countries Disney+ is in to over 160 by fiscal 2023."