Wasn’t it only just back in January when the official annoucement for Disney+ coming to the MENA region was made? There was only the mention of summer 2022 as the timeframe.
Mark your calendars for June 8; you’ll be able to sign up and start streaming right here in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Pricing and features
While you may have watched some of the Disney+ Originals on OSN last year, that partnership ended in 2021. Your subscription gives you access to more including: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and general entertainment from Star (in select markets).
From the details shared by The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ will have both monthly and annual subscription pricing. Pricing varies across each country, and some are using local currencies while others will stick to the US$.
| Country | Currency | Monthly Price | Annual price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | QAR | 29.99 | 298.99 |
| UAE | AED | 29.99 | 298.99 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR | 29.99 | 298.99 |
| Kuwait | US$ | 8.99 | 88.99 |
| Oman | US$ | 8.99 | 88.99 |
| Bahrain | US$ | 8.99 | 88.99 |
| Jordan | JOD | 2.99 | 28.99 |
| Lebanon | US$ | 4.99 | 43.99 |
| Palestine | US$ | 6.99 | 68.99 |
| Iraq | IQD | 4999.99 | 49,998.99 |
| Egypt | EGP | 49.99 | 498.99 |
| Algeria | DZD | 399.99 | 3,998.99 |
| Morocco | MAD | 33.99 | 328.99 |
| Tunisia | US$ | 3.49 | 33.99 |
Unlike some services that have tiered pricing with different features, Disney+ keeps one fixed rate and gives you the following:
- access to high-quality viewing, up to four concurrent streams,
- unlimited downloads on upto ten devices,
- IMAX Enhanced for selected titles (where available),
- and the ability to set up to seven different user profiles, including the ability for parents to set Kids Profiles that have an easy-to-navigate child-friendly interface to access age-appropriate content.
You can get a partial headstart by having the app installed on your smartphone/mobile device. Expect them to update the app to enable the new regions (maybe they’ll even add support for the Arabic language).
What lies ahead
It would have been great that the rollout took place before Ramadan; video content consumption spikes durign this time, whether it’s online or available via SVOD. With the launch date at the start of the summer season, other SVOD providers in the region will be keeping their eyes open.
Current global subscription numbers on the service put it at 129.8 million (source: Disney). Expect that number to jump significantly, as the MENA region launch is part of their next global expansion phase. Parallel to this, Disney+ will also have an International Content and Operations Group; this could play a role in overseeing original content production from the different regions.
One question remains: will Disney pull all their content away from OSN, StarzPlay, and other SVOD providers closer to their launch?
