Disney to cease 18 cable channels in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong

Disney has announced that they are shutting down 18 of their cable channels in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to focus on its direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming model, Disney+. This will take effect from Oct 1.

The 18 channels shutting down include entertainment channels like Disney Junior and Fox Crime, sports channels like Star Sports, and factual channels like Nat Geo People.

Among the channels, Fox Sports has access to many high-profile sporting events such as Formula One and Tennis (the Australian Open and the US Open). It is currently unclear what Disney plans to do moving forward for sports consumers after the cease of Disney’s sports channels.

Pay-TV platforms that carry Disney’s channels like Starhub and SingTel Mio will have to compensate in their channel lineups due to Disney’s decision to cease the majority of their channels. Consumers who subscribe to these channels may also have to revise their subscription.

Regarding the closure, Disney wrote: “As part of The Walt Disney Company’s global effort to pivot towards a D2C first model and further grow our streaming services, the company is consolidating its Media Networks business primarily in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. These efforts will help us align our resources more efficiently and effectively to current and future business needs.”

On the bright side, Disney+ is currently available in Singapore and Indonesia. The streaming service will continue to branch out to more regions, including Hong Kong and Malaysia, this year.