Disney+ Streaming Service Now Has 54.5 Million Subscribers - MacRumors
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Disney+ Streaming Service Now Has 54.5 Million Subscribers

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

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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.

Tags: Disney, Disney Plus

Top Rated Comments

kiensoy Avatar
kiensoy
78 months ago

54.5 Million on free trial šŸ˜‚ they will not be paying for those when this is alll over. Iā€™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 šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚
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
richpjr
78 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)
N
nfl46
78 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)
BC2009 Avatar
BC2009
78 months ago
Iā€™ve enjoyed Disney+ immensely since signing up. I went for the 3-year promotional deal which works out to less than $4 per month.

The final season of Clone Wars just concluded and was fantastic. Loved the Mandalorian. Iā€™m really liking that movies that I would normally shell out $20 for release on Disney+ only a few weeks after digital iTunes release. Also, I can catch up on stuff I never saw in theatres ā€” and their Artemis Fowl movie is now skipping theatrical release and going straight to Disney+.

Then they have a bunch of stuff for the kids and up to seven profiles and 4 concurrent screens.

A bunch more direct-to-streaming content is dropping this summer and fall. After my 3-year promotional deal is up I am betting the direct-to-streaming content production will be in high gear. Itā€™s kinda hard to call it ā€œoriginal contentā€ since it is all 100% Disney-owned/created content. (I.e.: if Netflix had a theatrical release like The Irishman and then went to streaming it is still ā€œoriginal contentā€ ā€” Disney can count that for just about every movie they release now).

Given Disneyā€™s creative chops and the brands they own, I see this (comboā€™d with Hulu for those who want grittier shows) will be the must-have streaming service. I think Netflix is in trouble because all the studios are going with their own streaming services and that leaves Netflix to original content which is very expensive when the only revenue stream is monthly subscriptions.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
richpjr Avatar
richpjr
78 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)
N
nfl46
78 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)
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