Disney to shut down 18 channels in Southeast Asia & Hong Kong
By MYBRANDBOOK
Disney has announced to close 18 TV channels in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong as the conglomerate puts a greater emphasis on direct-to-consumer streaming. The move will take effect from Oct. 1, 2021.
Many of the channels set to be shuttered joined the group less than three years ago as part of Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox. They include: Fox, Fox Crime, Fox Life, FX, and Channel V; movie channels Fox Action Movies, Fox Family Movies, Fox Movies and Star Movies China; sports channels Fox Sports, Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports 3, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2; kids channel Disney Channel and Disney Junior; factual services Nat Geo People and SCM Legend.
Only four Disney-owned linear channels will survive the cull: Star Chinese Channel, Star Chinese Movies, National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild.
Disney Plus hasn’t yet had a full roll-out in the region. But in Indonesia, where it launched in September last year as Disney Plus Hotstar, and Singapore, where it launched in February, the streaming service has been a hit.
Disney Plus is present in 59 markets worldwide and has surpassed 100 million paying subscribers in total. It has said that it expects to roll out in more markets in the region, but has only identified Hong Kong as happening this year. A buildup to a launch in Malaysia earlier this year was temporarily halted.
The move could nevertheless have a disruptive effect on pay-TV platforms and sports in the region. Disney and Fox channels have been a large part of the offering of pay-TV subscription packages offered by the likes of SingTel and Starhub in Singapore and PCCW’s NowTV in Hong Kong. Their closure from October may mean a downward pressure on subscription prices.
The closure of the five sports services may also have implications for sports rights deals and their owners. Among the channels’ key sports deals are those for Formula One and the Australian Open, U.S. Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Disney closed its sports channels in Taiwan in 2020
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