Disney has people on edge as the company is expected to reveal its first quarter earnings tomorrow. This will, of course, mark the first time the media giant is reporting its numbers after the launch of Disney+ and experts are predicting the numbers to be quite high.
According to Variety, the service is expected to announce it has amassed between 25 to 30 million subscribers since its launch in November. This would place it right in the thick of the competition as Netflix just announced they reached 167 million global subscribers, 61 million U.S. subscribers (up 420,000) and surpassed 100 million internationally for the first time (up 8.33 million).
Fellow Disney subsidiary Hulu is also expected to reveal their numbers tomorrow, but was last reported at 29 million subscribers. Amazon, which doesn’t reveal its subscriber numbers was reported to be standing at 100 million subscribers with 26 million U.S. customers streaming videos, according to a report by Reuters.
“From zero to where they are now is unbelievable,” said Michael Nathanson, entertainment analyst and principal at MoffettNathanson. “The company should bask in the glow of what they’ve pulled off. They didn’t play it safe. But they did the right thing for the company.”
Variety also reports at least a third of Disney+’s subscribers are expected to come from Verizon, whom they cut a deal with back in October, to offer the service free for one year to its wireless customers on unlimited data plans.
Disney+ launched on Nov. 12, and immediately became a hit. The streaming service was downloaded 3.2 million times to mobile devices and garnered 1.3 million hours of viewership in its first 24 hours, according to Apptopia. Despite the hiccups, the streaming service reached 10 million subscribers merely 24-hours post launch.
The streaming service has a deep catalog including the entire Disney Vault, Pixar and Star Wars libraries, MCU films like “Captain Marvel” and the entire 30 seasons of The Simpsons. Starting with the 2019 theatrical slate, all Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars films will become exclusive to Disney+, meaning movies like the live-action versions of “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame” will only be available to stream on Disney+.