South Korea and Taiwan, two developed markets in East Asia, will get the Disney Plus streaming service on Friday. Following the debuts, some new Asian-produced series that were announced last month will be released.
In Korea, where Apple TV Plus debuted only last week, the service enters a crowded and fiercely competitive market.
The cost of Disney Plus will be KRW9,900 ($8.40) per month or KRW99,000 ($84) per year. Disney Plus will be offered through LG Uplus IPTV mobile and KT Mobile, with various price plans, to provide itself a competitive edge.
The service will cost TWD 270 ($9.71) per month and TWD 2,790 ($100.4) per year in Taiwan.
The initiatives come after successful debuts in Malaysia, Thailand (where it is known as Disney Plus Hotstar), and Singapore earlier this year. The launch in Hong Kong is set for next Tuesday.
In Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, “Outrun by Running Man,” the first spin-off from the renowned Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) variety show “Running Man,” will be accessible on Disney Plus beginning immediately.
The spin-off, helmed by Lim Hyung-taek, sees the original cast of Kim Jong-kook, Haha, and Jee Seok-jin embark on new tasks and challenges alongside celebrity guests at notable places around Korea and Asia.
Disney announced over 20 new Asia-Pacific films in October, including seven Korean movies, as part of their goal to green light more than 50 APAC originals by 2023.
Walt Disney disclosed dismal growth in Disney Plus customers as part of its most recent quarterly financial report on Thursday. Disney Plus gained just 2.1 million net new members in the three months ending in September, significantly less than Wall Street’s expectations. Disney CEO Bob Chapek responded by stating that the business anticipates having to raise its expenditure on new programming.
On Disney’s fiscal Q4 2021 call, Chapek said, “We announced at our last Investor Day [in December 2020′ that we expect our total content expense to be between $8 and $9 billion in fiscal 2024, and we will now be increasing that investment further, with the primary driver being more local and regional content.”
