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:

Åland 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."

Source: androidcentral

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