Disney+ grows reach in Western Europe

New animated short series The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse

Disney+ has become available in eight more European countries as the international expansion of The Walt Disney Company (TWDC)’s streaming service continues.

Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Belgium and Luxembourg are the latest countries to get Disney+, which is now available in more than 25 countries.

Its prices range from NOK69 (US$7.67) per month in Norway to DKK59 (US$9.43) per month in Denmark. In Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Iceland and Luxembourg it costs €6.99 (US$8.31) per month, while in Sweden it costs SEK69 (US$7.89).

The service offers original series such as Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian alongside library content from brands such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic, plus more than 600 episodes of The Simpsons.

It first launched in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico in November last year and has since has reached markets such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK, Japan and India, attracting more than 60.5 million paying subscribers along the way.

TWDC initially set a target of reaching between 60 million and 90 million subscribers and achieving profitability in the fiscal year 2024, but some analysts have predicted it could reach 130 million in five years. In comparison, SVoD market leader Netflix has around 160 million subscribers.

“As a major force in the global direct-to-consumer space, we’re bringing high-quality, optimistic storytelling that you expect from our brands to even more people,” said Rebecca Campbell, chairman of Walt Disney direct-to-consumer and international.

In related news, Disney+ will release animated short series The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, produced by Disney Television Animation, on November 18, with two new shorts rolling out every Friday beginning November 27.

Ten shorts will premiere this year, with 10 additional shorts set for summer 2021. Emmy-winning artist and director Paul Rudish serves as executive producer and supervising director.

Christopher Willis, the Emmy-nominated composer of Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse shorts, also provides the music for this series.