Tuesday, August 20, 2019

South African viewers upset that Disney+ won't be made available in the country as part of the video streamer's international launch, says new shows like Star Wars' The Mandalorian will be pirate viewed as Disney lose out on revenue.


South African viewers are upset that The Walt Disney Company's upcoming streaming service Disney+ that will launch on 12 November in America and other countries won't be made available in South Africa as part of the video streamer's international launch and say pirate viewing of sought-after content will see Disney lose out on potential revenue.

On Monday Disney announced that besides the United States, Disney+ will become available in Canada and the Netherlands as well on 12 November, with New Zealand and Australia following a week later on 19 November. Disney+ will cost around R100 in each country.

Absent from Disney's announcement for Disney+ is South Africa that is apparently not considered "a major market" for Disney although the country has a bigger population and consumer base than Canada, the Netherlands, as well as Australia and New Zealand combined.

Disney has commissioned an avalanche of TV content in the form of new animation and live-action series and films from its combined Marvel, Disney, Pixar and Star Wars brands that will be available on its new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, along with a massive library of content from 21st Century Fox and National Geographic.

Upcoming programming on Disney+ includes several live-action Star Wars series and a series based around Marvel's Loki to the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Monsters at Work, reality series and even a High School Musical teen series.

South African consumers and viewers are upset and frustrated about the lack of any information and communication from Disney for Africa, and are warning Disney Africa that the company is going to lose out in potential revenue as viewers flock to torrent and illegal downloads to find programming.

Viewers are particularly interested in the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, as well as many other original programming that will be available on Disney+ from the day of launch.

Disney ignored questions from Disney fans on social media asking when Disney+ will be made available in South Africa, where other video streaming services like Netflix South Africa, Amazon Prime Video and MultiChoice's Showmax already exist and are competing in the small but growing subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) consumer space.

"I won't be able to watch The Mandalorian because it seems Disney+ isn't rolling out in South Africa," remarked StarWarsStories, with Joe Mabija that asked in vain, "Disney+ when will you be launching in South Africa?"

Yusuf Moosa said "Hey Disney+, a lot of us here in South Africa would love to give you our money" and Rish Rialto said that "if the global rollout isn't quick and extensive (Africa & Asia) expect a ton of lost revenue to piracy. Be smart please!"

Last week Disney announced that it has appointed Luke Bradley-Jones as the boss of Disney+ for Europe and Africa who will take up the position from 2020.


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