The Program Guide highlights notable programming announcements and upcoming original debuts from online video platforms around the world.

Top News

* Netflix will release a new catalog of 44 critically acclaimed Arabic films, with stories coming from the UAE, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Algeria and Sudan.

* The Walt Disney Co. will launch its Disney+ streaming service in Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and Denmark on Sept. 15.

* Crackle Plus, the operator of streaming services Crackle and Popcornflix, unveiled up to 200 hours of new original and exclusive programming. The new programming includes original sports docuseries, scripted series, feature films and unscripted content.

The Americas

* Netflix Inc. announced "Homemade," a collection of short films created by filmmakers around the globe. Filmed only using equipment found at home, "Homemade" stories include diaries of filmmakers' day-to-day lives and short fictional films across multiple genres.

* Corus Entertainment Inc. unveiled its 2020-2021 programming slate, with both new and long-standing series, including 43 new and returning Canadian original series and movies.

* Cinedigm Corp. partnered with Team Whistle to expand the distribution of its Whistle TV streaming service on linear, advertising-based video-on-demand and subscription video-on-demand platforms on connected TVs and media streaming devices, among others.

* ViacomCBS Inc. will debut "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run" digitally in the U.S via premium video on demand in early 2021 and then move exclusively to its streaming service CBS All Access.

* Netflix also became the new home to "Cobra Kai," the series continuation of the "The Karate Kid" film franchise. The first two seasons of "Cobra Kai" will premiere on Netflix this year, with a new third season to follow.

* Warner Media LLC's HBO Max will have the U.S. SVOD exclusive premiere of Warner Bros. animated feature film "SCOOB!" available on the streaming platform June 26. The animated Scooby-Doo adventure reveals how Scooby and Shaggy met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form Mystery Inc.

* In other HBO Max news, the direct-to-consumer offering gave an order for adult animated series "10-Year-Old-Tom." The series will follow Tom, who grapples with being corrupted by the grownups around him. Warner Media is a unit of AT&T Inc.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

* Amazon.com Inc. plans to live-stream Premier League matches for free on Twitch Interactive Inc. in the U.K., Deadline.com reported.

* Amazon's Prime Video streaming service acquired tennis documentary "Unraveling Athena" from Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, Advanced Television reported. Prime Video will release the documentary in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands on July 13.

* Sweden-based entertainment company Nordic Entertainment Group AB will premiere romantic musical comedy "Valley Girl," its first Hollywood Viaplay Original film, on its Viaplay streaming service in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in July.

* Comcast Corp. unit Sky Ltd. and Discovery Inc. entered into a new long-term, expanded partnership including video-on-demand in the U.K., Ireland, Germany and Austria. The new deal sees Sky continue to distribute Discovery's entertainment channels.

* Sky's subscription video-on-demand platform Now TV will begin offering British Telecom's BT Sport at no extra cost.

* Sports streaming platform DAZN secured live and exclusive rights to German top football league Bundesliga matches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland from 2021 to 2025.

* Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. launched its children-oriented video-on-demand channel on Sky Kids.

Asia-Pacific

* KT Corp. is considering a tie-up with Netflix and could sign a deal in September, The Korea Times reported, citing sources. The South Korean mobile operator is also eyeing partnerships with HBO and Disney+.

* Cinema One will stream selected LGBTQ movies on ABS-CBN Corp.'s streaming service iWant from June 19 to July 20, Rank Magazine reported. The Philippine cable network will show three other LGBTQ films on its YouTube channel on June 26-29. Alphabet Inc. unit Google LLC owns YouTube.

* Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd. will shut down its short video app Vigo Video in India by Oct. 31. Vigo Video will allow Indian users to transfer their content to ByteDance's hit video-sharing app TikTok Inc.

* PCCW Media Ltd.'s streaming service Viu and HBO Asia premiered the second season of their adaptation of crime drama "The Bridge." Endemol Shine Group Ltd.'s Filmlance International AB and Nimbus Film ApS co-produced the original series.

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