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| Disney Plus challenges its competitors in the Middle East |
The Walt Disney Company continues to expand its Disney Plus streaming service to 16 markets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Disney Plus has launched its streaming services in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is vying for market share in a region with a young population, but few people have used it so far.
The platform said that it has started broadcasting in 16 Arab countries and is working to customize content for the region, including Arabic subtitles for most shows, especially popular content.
The launch gives fans in these regions access to exclusive original content and thousands of episodes and movies from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Entertainment.
This includes a slew of original shows such as Mrs. Marvel, The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Moon Night, Crime in the Building, The Dropout, The Kardashians and more.
Users can access high-quality viewing, up to four simultaneous streams, unlimited downloads on up to ten devices, and the ability to configure up to seven different profiles, including the ability for parents to set profiles for children to access appropriate content for age. .
According to Digital TV Research, Netflix currently leads the region with over 6.8 million subscribers.
Abu Dhabi-based company StarsPlay ranked second with less than 2 million, followed by Amazon with 1.4 million.
Some competitors offer original content in Arabic. Netflix is producing the second season of its hit series Al Rawabi School for Girls and the Search for Ola.
MBC Group's live streaming platform has ordered an Arabic version of British comedy The Office. And its regional rival OSN has an Arabic version of the American legal series Suits.
Disney Plus is expanding its global reach
OSN previously held the rights to broadcast original Disney Plus content. Moaz Sheikh, CEO of StarsPlay, told Reuters last week that the company is also developing original Arabic content. He explained that there is a lot of room for growth in the region with broadcast penetration reaching 10%.
Digital TV Research expects the number of Netflix to reach 11 million by 2027. Disney Plus came in second with 6.5 million.
He also expects the number of Amazon subscribers to reach 4.8 million by 2027. StarsPlay has less than 3 million subscribers.
During a pre-release event on stage at Dubai Opera, Egyptian director of Marvel Studios' Moon Knight series Mohamed Diab is promoting the world premiere of the original superhero series.