The Walt Disney Company Africa promoted new seasons of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and a new Ice Age film at a showcase in Johannesburg on Tuesday. South Africans who want to catch up on the earlier instalments of both can do so on Netflix.
That is because of a content licensing deal between Disney and Netflix.
All five Ice Age films and the first two seasons of Percy Jackson went live on Netflix worldwide on 4 October, each with a three-month promotional window. Percy Jackson season 3 premieres on Disney+ on 20 November. Ice Age: Boiling Point opens in cinemas on 5 February 2027.
The deal goes well beyond those two franchises. The first four seasons of Will Trent arrive on Netflix globally on 3 November. The first three seasons of Tracker follow outside the US from 26 February 2027, even though Disney listed a fourth season of Tracker among its Disney+ highlights at the showcase.
Disney’s animated films are part of it, too. Pixar’s Soul and Elio and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Raya and the Last Dragon are due on Netflix in early 2027, with availability varying by country, Storyboard18 reported. At Tuesday’s showcase, Disney was promoting Pixar’s next original film, Gatto, which opens in cinemas on 5 March. Older series such as Felicity, Revenge and This Is Us are also included.
Titles now on Disney+ will stay there, and Disney-branded content will largely remain exclusive to Disney’s own platforms and channels, Variety reported. In return, Disney earns extra revenue and puts its shows in front of a much larger audience: Netflix said in January that it had passed 325 million paid memberships. Variety said part of Disney’s aim is to build interest in its upcoming releases.
What Disney+ is betting on
It is a reversal for a company that spent years pulling its films and shows from rivals to build up Disney+. And it comes as Disney+ asks South Africans to pay more: its Premium plan went up from R159 to R179/month this year. The local market has also lost a competitor, after MultiChoice shut Showmax down at the end of April.
Every Formula E race will stream on Disney+ from 18 December under a multiyear deal that starts with the 2026/2027 season. Disney said subscribers will get practice, qualifying and race sessions, as well as preview and review shows and highlights.
Formula E joins the ESPN hub on Disney+ in South Africa. ESPN also carries France’s Top 14 rugby and several European football leagues, and it is the exclusive English-language home of the NBA finals in sub-Saharan Africa.
A new Disney+ app rolled out to South African users over the past month. Disney said it offers more personalised recommendations, new parental controls and a better ESPN experience, and lets users watch while travelling in Europe, the US and other regions. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
