Disney+ Streaming Service Now Has 54.5 Million Subscribers

Disney+ now has 54.5 million subscribers worldwide, a new total announced today during the company's quarterly earnings call.

disney ios
That means Disney has gained 4.5 million Disney+ subscribers since April 8, when it said that Disney+ had 50 million subscribers. Disney+ launched in November and has grown to almost $55 million subscribers over the course of the last six months.

Disney's significant growth earlier this year came from launches of the service in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Switzerland, and India, but the service has also seen a boost with everyone sheltering in place and working from home.

54.4 million subscribers is well ahead of Disney's projected figures for the growth of Disney+. When the service launched, Disney estimated that it would see 60 to 90 million subscribers worldwide by the end of 2024, but if the current growth rate keeps up, Disney will hit that goal this year.

Apple has not provided subscriber numbers for Apple TV+, so there's no direct comparison to make to Disney+. Apple has been providing a free year of service to everyone who purchases a new Apple device, so it will take some time before Apple has large numbers of paying subscribers.

Disney+ has a major edge over ‌Apple TV+‌ because Disney has an established catalog of content along with many popular Star Wars and Marvel franchises to offer. "The Mandalorian," the key show Disney+ premiered with, received more attention than any of ‌Apple TV+‌'s launch shows, including "The Morning Show," "Dickinson," "See," and "For All Mankind."

Though Disney+ growth is solid, Disney lost about $1 billion in operating income in the March quarter due to the shuttering of its theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

kiensoy Avatar
55 months ago

54.5 Million on free trial ? they will not be paying for those when this is alll over. I’ve worked in customer service to know they will either contact customer service to report that they have cancelled before the trial ended or they will call the bank to file a dispute ??
They are only giving away 1 month of free trial, unlike Apple that is giving an entire year of AppleTV+ with the purchase of a device. I expect more people cancelling AppleTV+ after their trial than Disney+.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
richpjr Avatar
55 months ago

Except Disney doesn't have exciting original content (besides their Marvel and Star Wars series, which aren't showing up for a year). Apple continues to pump out good stuff. That's the key difference there.
That is a subjective matter of opinion. IMO, the Mandalorian is far better than anything I have seen on Apple TV.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
55 months ago

OK. If you like re-watching shows from your childhood or have been living under a rock for the last 20 years. I have seen these in theaters and on DVD many times. I can't get excited about old content.
Yes, I'd much rather re-watch those tv shows than watch some of Apple's crappy original content.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deputy_doofy Avatar
55 months ago
I haven't been disappointed with Disney+ yet.

TV+, however, isn't quite as good. What would save it or make it better is *some* familiar content in abundance so we can watch other stuff.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
55 months ago

Cool story. Disney+ simply doesn't have enough original content worthy of adults. It's kid stuff and teenager fare. Not a mature service at all. That whole "Apple aversion to graphic content" seems to have been a typo, because clearly Disney is guilty of that, not Apple.


They have one show that was popular, The Mandalorian. In 8 months. I suggest you sign up and see just how little the service actually has to offer adults.
I'm not referring to new shows (or original content), I'm talking about stuff like Home Alone 2, Frozen, Toy Story, all the Avenger movies...Disney+ catalog alone is sickening.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
richpjr Avatar
55 months ago

Very subjective. The Mandalorian is not better than The Morning Show or Servant. Unless you're a Star Wars person, or just prefer Mando.
What is good on every streaming service is subjective. I tried the Morning Show and found it boring as hell (and I like the actors in it). The new movies not showing up for a year is kind of annoying and I expect that changes in the future as license deals expire. I get both services free for a year. At the end of the year I'll pay for Disney, but unless Apple keeps giving free years when I buy devices or substantially ups their game for shows I find interesting, I'll be cancelling. But others will clearly feel differently.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)