Disney+ is expanding rapidly in a bid to fiercely compete with its rival Netflix. The Walt Disney-owned streaming platform launched its services officially in South Africa on May 18, 2022. Read our guide on how to watch Disney Plus in South Africa, in case you still can’t access it.
The content showcase revealed what Disney+ has to offer for South African viewers and it really lived up to the hype. The virtual event was hosted by Christine Service, Senior Vice President & General Manager of The Walt Disney Company in Africa, along with TVSA.
In this article, we will recap the 10 things to remember from the Disney+ South Africa upfronts.
1. Users can subscribe and log in through a cellular phone number. Alternatively, an e-mail address can also be used but it’s not compulsory. Your mobile phone number will suffice while accessing your Disney+ account anywhere, any time.
For security reasons, a temporary code is sent to you by Disney+ while signing up for the service and logging in. That keeps you away from the hassle of remembering passwords. This feature also means that to access your account by friends or family, they will need to get the code from you. So, you are in full control of the Disney+ account.
Unless you forget or change your phone number, this feature is a welcome addition for those who don’t fancy remembering login details and passwords.
2. Even if you haven’t subscribed to Disney+ yet, you can easily browse the content available on the streaming platform. The streaming platform is compatible with all the major devices, including PCs, Windows, Macbooks, internet browsers, Apple TV, iOS, Android devices, Smart TVs, Chromecast, and other streaming devices.
3. A single subscription allows access to four screens simultaneously, meaning that four users can separately watch their preferred TV shows or films at the same time. The app also lets you download unlimited content on a maximum of 10 smartphones or tablets, making sure that you have enough supplies of content while you are on the go.
4. The service also offers enough parental controls. It offers users the option to make pin-protected dedicated profiles, allowing the parents to have more checks and balances on what their kids can watch. Simply go to the profile you want to apply the parental controls and set the content rating you want a specific profile to have.
5. Episodes of TV shows are mainly released weekly with the show’s premiere having double bills. After the debut, one episode is released each week. The benefit of having TV shows without a binge-able format is to prevent spoilers for viewers who like to watch episodes on a weekly basis. Still, there are a few TV series that are dropped at once with a complete set of episodes.
6. Disney has plans to develop, source, and produce around 60 local productions by 2024 from countries around the world, which also includes South Africa. Countries that have their own localized productions until now include France and Italy.
7. Disney+ was launched with ten local short animated movies in South Africa. Also Iwájú, the African animated show will also be in its new releases line-up once the release date is confirmed.
It is an under-work co-production between Kugali, which is a pan-African entertainment company, and Disney. The movie is based on a comic book series of a similar name. The story is set in a modern and futuristic setting and the themes of the story deal with social class, identity, and challenges to the status quos.
8. Films and TV series are cataloged based on the following six content heads:
The Marvel catalog houses all the Marvel films and TV series exclusively. The Star Wars pivot hosts all of the Star Wars flicks and TV shows while the Star section holds a heap of adult-oriented TV shows and movies, new and classic, comprising:
- Each episode of The Simpsons
- The TV series Queens, a series about a 90s girl clan with an aim to regain their fame and swagger
- The resuscitated Kartrashians
- Pam and Tommy, the real-life scandalous story of the leaked sex tape of Pamela Anderson and her husband
- Comey series Atlanta Season 3
- Ridley Scott’s Death on the Nile, featuring Gal Gadot and Tom Bateman
9. If being a South-African resident this question raises in your mind, ‘Will this have any impact on the National Geographic channel DStv? Well, the answer to that is no!
According to Christine, The Walt Disney Company’s General Manager and Senior Vice President in Africa, the channel will stay the same as it always has been and these parallel channels will keep getting new content as well as Disney+.
10. Last but not least, the ultimate takeaway to remember from this is that if you have not already utilized it, you can watch it 24/7. Like literally, we have done it to test and streamed it 24 hours a day. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your popcorn bucket and start streaming!
