A comparison of the UAE's main streamers, from Netflix to Disney+
Disney’s streaming service will launch in the Middle East in June The June 8 launch of Disney+ in the Middle East will bring another A-list streaming service to an already crowded marketplace, and seems certain to ensure the rapidly growing service, which reported a 37 per cent year-on-year growth in subscriber numbers in its year-end report for 2021, will continue to add viewers at an impressive rate. With 129.8 million subscribers internationally at the close of last year (including its Asian Disney+ Hotstar offshoot), Disney still lags behind Netflix in terms of pure numbers — the grandaddy of the streaming services reported 221.84 million subscribers at the close of 2021 — but Netflix’s growth has been slowing in recent years, and it can only dream of Disney’s impressive ability to add new subscribers. Of course, having only launched in the US and other selected markets in 2019, Disney hasn’t yet had Netflix’s 15 years as a streaming service to reach peak viewers, and...