Shocking Disney+ price hike from July for South Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

Disney has announced a shocking price hike of 16.8% for its Disney+ video streaming service in South Africa with the Mouse House increasing monthly subscription fees from R119 to R139 from 19 July 2023.

Walt Disney Africa's 16.8% fee increase for a monthly Disney+ subscription in South Africa is far above South Africa's inflation rate, with the Disney+ annual subscription fee which is also hiked far above the inflation price and increasing by 14.4% from R1 190 to R1 390. 

Walt Disney Africa didn't issue a statement or public announcement but is mentioning the price hike coming into effect from 19 July on its FAQ page for Disney+ for South African subscribers where it notes that "Starting 19 July 2023, the price of Disney+ will be revised to R139 per month and R1 390 per year".

According to Disney, all existing annual Disney+ customers in South Africa who get their subscription directly from Disney+ will have been sent an SMS from 4 June and monthly customers will be sent an SMS from 13 June to advise them that the price for their subscription will change on 19 July.

All existing customers who get their subscription in app via Google and Apple will be notified on 19 July with Apple customers new price coming into effect 30 days after notification and Google customers new price coming into effect 60 days after notification.

All existing customers who get their subscription through MultiChoice's "Add to bill" functionality will be notified with an SMS 30 days before the new price comes into effect on 19 July.

Disney isn't giving Disney+ subscribers any reason for the drastic increase on the Disney+ FAQ page, or why it is so far above the inflation rate.

On Tuesday Walt Disney Africa was asked why Disney+ is doing a price increase and what factors are responsible for the Disney+ price hike being so much higher than South Africa's current inflation rate. The company didn't respond with a statement.

After MultiChoice says Disney XD is planning on rebranding to Marvel HQ on DStv later in 2019, Disney Africa denies it and says 'there are no plans to change Disney XD for its current format'.

Walt Disney Africa tells TVwithThinus there are no plans at the moment to change its Disney XD (DStv 304) channel from Disney XD to Marvel HQ or anything else on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform in South Africa and Africa.

It comes after growing speculation,  after Disney decided to flip its boy-focused kids channel in India from Disney XD to Marvel HQ since 20 January.

Currently only Disney XD in India changed to Marvel HQ, but according to Disney, the change could be replicated in other territories and markets "depending on market demand".

The 10-year old Disney XD is apparently facing ratings problems internationally, with Disney that has also started shifting some shows from Disney XD to the Disney Channel (DStv 303), and with Disney XD that shuttered at the beginning of the month in Australia and New Zealand.

Weirdly complicating and confusing matters are MultiChoice - itself as carrier of Disney XD - telling at least one person that Disney XD in South Africa will be changing to Marvel HQ but not giving any date or specifics.

MultiChoice on its DStvCare Twitter handle, when asked if Disney XD is going to change in South Africa and Africa as well, told a viewer that "we can only confirm that Disney XD is planning on rebranding to Marvel HQ, we can't confirm the exact time when this will be taking place".

After being told by MultiChoice that Disney XD will be changing to Marvel HQ later in 2019, the viewer reached out to TVwithThinus asking what's going on.

TVwithThinus on Monday asked The Walt Disney Company Africa for clarity and whether Disney XD will be changing to Marvel HQ, and if so, when - or not - and got another message.

A spokesperson said: "Currently there are no plans to change Disney XD from its current format on DStv".

Star Wars: The Force Awakens from Disney and Lucasfilm shatters its opening day box office in South Africa with a haul of R4,72 million in Wednesday ticket sales.

Disney and Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Force Awakens has shattered its opening day box office in South Africa where the latest 7th film in the Star Wars film franchise raked in a massive R4,72 million on its Wednesday opening day.

What is means is that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has become the biggest Wednesday film draw in South Africa's cinema's history.

The Walt Disney Company Africa announced that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has broken the record for the biggest opening Wednesday in South African box office history, pulling in R4 726 865 on its first day of release in South Africa alone.

In South Africa, Africa's most sophisticated consumer film market, over 70 000 moviegoers flocked on Wednesday to specifically see Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Ticket tallies for other African countries besides South Africa are not yet available but its a given that Disney's latest Star Wars film from producer and director JJ Abrams will set new African records - especially in South Africa where Star Wars: The Force Awakens also shattered records for ticket pre-sales, as well as for IMAX and 3D screenings.

Similar to its American and other international Disney counterparts, Walt Disney South Africa and Walt Disney Africa was cautious to make any statements pre-release of the movie in a bid to contain and manage box office expectations, but now Disney is talking.

"We are thrilled at the reception South African fans have given Star Wars: The Force Awakens," says Christine Service, the senior vice president and country manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa in a statement released on Thursday.

"As the next instalment in the Star Wars saga, the release of this film means that every generation will now have their own Star Wars story to experience."

Earlier this year M-Net's M-Net Movies division and MultiChoice launched a successful Star Wars pop up channel on DStv in South Africa and throughout Africa showing the previous Star Wars films as well as other related Star Wars content on a dedicated channel that ran for a month.

Like elsewhere in the world, Star Wars fans embraced , dressing up as characters and attending fan events like in Sandton, Johannesburg at the Nelson Mandela Square on Wednesday.