A distribution deal that includes Disney’s stable of family and factual channels has been signed between the MultiChoice Group and the Walt Disney Company Africa.
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“National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Disney Channel, Disney Junior as well as ESPN and ESPN2, which debuted on the DStv platform in 2020, will continue to be carried by DStv for the next two years, taking the total of Disney-run linear channels on DStv to six,” MultiChoice said in a statement.
The channels will be available on the following DStv packages:
- National Geographic: Compact and up
- National Geographic Wild: Access and up
- Disney Channel: Compact and up
- Disney Junior: Access and up
- ESPN: Compact and up
- ESPN2: Compact+ and up
“This distribution renewal with the MultiChoice Group marks another proud milestone in our long-term relationship,” said Christine Service, senior vice president and GM of The Walt Disney Company Africa.
This news comes as the country is still awaiting the local launch of the House of Mouse’s streaming service, Disney+. It includes all the content from the various networks and production companies that Disney owns, including the entire library of movies and shows from Disney itself, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, ESPN and National Geographic. The full premium subscription also includes all content from the Hulu streaming service.
It is expected that Disney+ will launch in South Africa in mid-2022, rumoured to be in June or July next year. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the launch of Disney+ in Eastern Europe had been delayed from this year to 2022 to accommodate a launch in South Africa and some markets in the Middle East.
Disney+ has seen impressive growth since its launch in 2019, immerging as strong competition to the industry leader Netflix. Recently it turned two years old, and Disney+ garnered 118 million subscribers in that time.
