Disney+ Makes Middle East Debut Through Third-Party Network

The Walt Disney Company DS has signed an agreement with the Dubai-based Orbit Showtime Network to make the content of its streaming platform available in the Middle East, Reuters reported Wednesday.

What Happened

OSN has acquired "long-term exclusive distribution rights" to the Disney+ content, CEO Patrick Tillieux told Reuters.

The content will be available on OSN television channels and online streaming services in seventeen countries in the region, including Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Why It Matters

According to OSN, this is the first time that Disney+ content has been made available through a third-party service.

Disney+ was launched in November last year, as a content-on-demand service. The platform primarily streams content created by Disney subsidiaries.

The latest move will help Disney compete against more established players in the region, including Netflix Inc. NFLX and Amazon.com Inc.'s AMZN Prime Video.

As of February, Disney+ had 28.6 million subscribers, compared to Netflix's 167 million and Prime Video's 150 million.

Price Action

Disney's stock closed 1.74% lower at $94.92 per share and traded 0.87% higher in the after-hours session at $95.75 per share.