Disney+ to expand into 42 more countries around the world over the summer

Disney+ orginal Star Wars spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett

The Walt Disney Company (TWDC)’s streamer Disney+ has confirmed it will launch in a further 42 countries this summer, including South Africa, Turkey, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

The streamer will arrive with exclusive original content including Dopesick and The Book of Boba Fett and thousands of episodes and movies from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, as well as general entertainment from Star.

This summer Disney+ will launch in Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein and Lithuania.

Also getting Disney+ are Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.

The news comes after TWDC last year delayed the launch of its streaming service in Eastern Europe from late 2021 to summer 2022.

Ayo Davis

Disney+ will also be launching in Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, St Pierre, Miquelon Overseas Collective, Åland Islands, Sint Maarten, Svalbard & Jan Mayen, British Indian Ocean Territory, Gibraltar, Pitcairn Islands and St Helena.

Disney+ is currently available in 18 countries in EMEA: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

In related news, TWDC has confirmed an adventure series based on publisher Disney Hyperion’s book series Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan is set to go into production for Disney+ this summer.

Riordan, who announced he was working with Disney+ on an adaptation of the book series in 2020, and Jon Steinberg will write the pilot with James Bobin directing.

All three serve as executive producers, along with Steinberg’s producing partner Dan Shotz, plus Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell and DJ Goldberg.

The Disney Branded Television series is produced by 20th Television and is geared towards a general audience and especially tweens, teens and young adults.

The first two novels in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series were previously adapted into feature films released by 20th Century Fox in 2010 and 2013. Disney acquired the studio’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, in 2019.

The live-action series tells the story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who has just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.

Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said: “With Rick Riordan, Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz leading our creative team, we are deep into creating a compelling TV series worthy of the heroic mythological characters that millions of Percy Jackson readers know are well-worth caring about, and we’re eager to invite Disney+ audiences into stories that are true to the blockbuster franchise and full of anticipation, humour, surprise and mystery.”