Disney+ Added 12.1M Subscribers in Q4 2022, Now Reports 164.2M Global Customers
In Disney’s Q4 2022 release, the company revealed its current number of subscribers for each of its streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. During the period, the fourth quarter of the company’s fiscal year, Disney+ added 12.1 million subscribers to bring its global total to 164.2 million. That represents a 39% increase year-over-year, as the service had 118.1M subscribers at the end of October in 2021.
Last quarter, Disney+ added 14.4 million subscribers, reaching a total of 152.1 million subscribers globally. As of Q3, its total subscriber count for all three services combined, surpassed Netflix’s customer count. At that point, Netflix was at 220.67 million subscribers, while Disney had 221.1 million worldwide.
When combined with Hulu’s 47.2M customers and ESPN+’s 24.3M, Disney’s three streaming services boast a total of 235.7 million subscribers. Last month, Netflix reported that it had added 2.4 million subscribers to bring its total customer base to over 223 million.
Notably, Disney said its bundled streaming services account for over 40% of its total subscriber count.
Last quarter, Warner Bros. Discovery reported that HBO Max and discovery+ had added 2.8M subscribers to come in at a combined 94.9 million. As part of Paramount’s earnings update, Paramount+ reported having 46M global subscribers thanks to an increase of 3M. Neither Prime Video nor Apple TV+ report subscriber totals.
In the United States and Canada, Disney+ has 46.4 million customers, a 20% rise over the same period last year, when the streamer had 38.8M subscribers.
Throughout the past few months, Disney has seen some major wins, specifically up against Netflix. According to an S&P Global’s Market Intelligence report, Disney+, along with Netflix, appears to be winning the streaming wars. This is primarily because other services can’t top the two services’ subscriber counts. These two are simply that far ahead of the pack. Another report noted that Disney+ now has the greatest share of the most popular titles compared to Netflix, which previously held that position.
Despite the affection for the streamer’s current content offerings, it’s possible that a new type of programming will find a home on Disney+. Recently, a augmented reality short film debuted on the platform as a test. Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek said that the streaming service wants to be “an experiential lifestyle platform.” Other interactive content may be on the horizon with digital versions of Disney park attractions and rides. Along with this, the company has launched an in-app shopping experience for select subscribers.
Also, “Hocus Pocus 2,” which debuted just in time for spooky season, was the most-watched movie premiere on Disney+ to date based on how many hours it was streamed in the first three days following its release.
In addition, Disney+ will become the U.S. and international streaming home for “Doctor Who” with new episodes beginning to debut in late 2023.
On Dec. 8, Disney+’s ad-supported tier, called Disney+ Basic, will launch. The company reportedly wants to keep ads to a minimum and offer some variety so viewers aren’t stuck watching the same ads repeatedly. Children’s profiles won't have ads at launch.
Disney+ with ads will be $7.99 per month. With this change comes a price hike on the ad-free tier at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. This has both advantages and disadvantages, depending on how consumers look at it. One downside of the ad-supported tier is that, according to reports, users will not have access to the Shareplay or Groupwatch features. Despite the price increase for the ad-free tier, the company is expecting to hit anywhere from 135 to 165 million core Disney+ subscribers by the end of 2024.
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.”