Disney+ to launch in the Middle East, including officially in the UAE, this summer

The streaming platform will bring more of Disney's greatest shows and films to the region

Disney+ is the streaming arm of entertainment giant Disney. AFP

Disney+, the streaming arm of entertainment giant Disney, and home to shows such as The Mandalorian and WandaVision, will launch in the Middle East this summer, and in the UAE in full, as part of “phase three” of its expansion, which will make the platform available in a total of 42 new countries and 11 territories.

The platform, which had previously been partially available to OSN subscribers via the Disney+ on OSN service, will launch in full across 16 Mena markets, including the UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen.

Beyond blockbuster content from the Star Wars and Marvel universes, Disney+ will also bring viewers content from Disney’s wider catalogue, alongside shows from animation giant Pixar, factual programmer National Geographic and family entertainment subsidiary Star.

Through the Star brand, Disney streams the latest shows, alongside classics from 20th Century Studios, Disney Television Studios, FX and Searchlight Pictures.

Disney+ is currently available in more than 30 of the world’s largest markets, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany and France.

The next phase of its launch will bring it to many territories in the Middle East, alongside countries such as Croatia, Poland and South Africa, and lesser-known markets such as the British territories of St Helens and the Pitcairn Islands, the French Southern Territories and the Danish-administered Faroe Islands.

Disney is yet to confirm an exact launch date beyond “summer 2022” and prices are also yet to be announced.

Price-conscious viewers may be interested to learn, however, that Disney+ has historically marketed itself below its main competitors, in particular Netflix.

In the US the service costs $7.99 a month compared with Netflix’s cheapest option of $9.99.