In Disney’s Q3 Earnings Release, the company reported where each of its streaming services, Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, currently stands. Disney+ added 14.4 million subscribers and now has a total of 152.1 million subscribers globally. As of Q2, Disney+ had added 7.9 million subscribers with a global total of 137.7.
Disney+’s corporate sibling streamer Hulu added 600,000 subscribers during the quarter to jump up to 46.2M worldwide; 42.2M of those customers opted for the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) option, while 4M have the live TV streaming service as well. Disney’s sports-focused streamer ESPN+ increased its customer base by half-a-million subscribers, representing 53% year-over-year growth.
Not accounting for overlap thanks to the Disney Bundle, Disney’s streaming service have 221.1 million customers. For comparison, at the end of the second quarter, Netflix reported having 220.67 million subscribers, keeping it far and away the largest subscription streaming service in the world. Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery reported that HBO Max and discovery+ had a combined 92.1 million subscribers. As part of Paramount’s earnings update, Paramount+ reported having 43M global subscribers thanks to an increase of 5.2M by the end of Q2. Neither Prime Video nor Apple TV+ report subscriber totals.
The company also announced that its flagship streaming service would unveil its long-anticipated ad-supported tier on Dec. 8, but that the service’s ad-free subscription would increase by 38%.
Many new audiences have gained access to Disney+ over the past few months. Now, people in North Africa, the Middle East, Israel, and many other countries and territories have the option to subscribe to the streaming service.
Despite the international expansion, the streamer’s numbers are expected to decrease, perhaps precipitously, as it lost out on the streaming rights for Indian Premier League cricket matches. After inheriting the rights as part of its acquisition of various FOX entities, Disney used the rights to grow to over 50 million subscribers in India.
However, subscriptions to Disney+ Hotstar — as it is known in the country — cost just $0.76USD, meaning that the service never generated the revenue that the number of customers would lead many to assume. So, Disney ultimately decided to stay in the IPL rights business, but on the linear side of the equation, ceding the streaming rights to Viacom18. Disney reportedly paid $3 billion for the broadcast rights, while Viacom18 ponied up $2.6B for the streaming rights.
How this will impact Disney+ Hotstar’s subscriber totals is yet to be seen, as its current rights deal runs through the end of the year.
In addition to expanding to Disney+’s international expansion, the company has continued to grow its library. Sing-along versions of a few popular Disney films have been released this summer. A first for the streaming service, three R-rated films, “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2,” and “Logan” premiered last month. Plus, Disney announced that more “Star Wars” content is coming in 2023.
Later this year, Disney+ subscribers will have the option to subscribe to an ad-supported tier, though the details of this upcoming addition have not yet been revealed. Ads will reportedly be kept to about four minutes per hour, children’s content will remain ad-free, and there will be restrictions as to what types of ads will appear on the platform. Recent analysis suggests that Disney+ may see an increase of $1.8 billion by the year 2025.
Among Disney’s streaming services, recent data shows that Hulu is the most popular, while Disney+ subscribers are the most loyal.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”