Disney unveils European launch dates for Disney+

Disney+ is set to launch in a number of European markets on 31 March, the studio giant confirmed during a results call.

The SVoD service is set to launch in the US, Canada and the Netherlands next week (12 November) and Australia and New Zealand a week later, but the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain will all have to wait until March, Disney chief executive Bob Iger said.

The service will launch with a raft of content from Disney’s vast back catalogue plus a number of new shows including Star Wars-based The Mandalorian and Marvel shows such as Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

• Read more: Overcrowding in the OTT landscape

The later launch for Europe means some of the new content, including a live-action remake of The Lady and the Tramp, will already be available on the service at launch.

Disney is also including content it has acquired the rights to during a number of high-profile mergers, such as its acquisition of LucasFilm and Pixar, and its merger with Fox which was completed earlier this year. The Fox deal means Disney+ will include content such as The Simpsons.

Disney did not disclose European pricing during Iger’s announcement, but in the US it will cost $6.99 per month. In August, Disney announced it will also offer a bundle that includes Disney+, ESPN+ and commercial-supported Hulu for $12.99 a month, although it did not disclose if any similar bundles would be made available in Europe.

• Read more: Pixar remastering 16 titles for Disney+ and UHD

Disney has already announced a number of partnerships for the service, and appears to be eyeing more, with Canal+ reportedly in talks to become the exclusive carrier partner for the service in France.

Earlier this week, Disney struck  deal with Amazon to offer Disney+ through its Fire TV range of devices, Iger announced. It will also be available on LG and Samsung smart TVs.

The decision to launch Disney+ will see the Mouse House go head-to-head with established streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, as well as a wave of new offerings from the likes of Apple (which launched Apple TV+ earlier this month), AT&T/ WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock.

WarnerMedia has not revealed if it will launch HBO Max into European markets, though it recently signed a new deal with UK broadcaster Sky for HBO.