By Jonathan Easton
Disney+’s rollout in Southern Asia is going strongly.
According to research from Dataxis, the region has already amassed 30 million Disney+ subscribers – approximately 30 per cent of all subscribers worldwide. This is spread across India (where Disney+ launched in April 2020), Indonesia (September 2020) and Singapore (February 2021).
The report notes that this strong performance can largely be attributed to Disney’s strong brand image in the region, along with the strong foothold of Hotstar – which it acquired as a part of the US$71 billion Fox deal.
Other contributing factors include the rights to the IPL in India, and partnerships with operators like Telkomsel.
The report however warns that the unexpected positive results could lead to much higher operational costs – and increases subscription prices as a result.
In spite of this, Dataxis predicts that Southern Asia will continue to be an area of strength for Disney, with planned launches in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines by the end of the year.
