Disney+ has taken the streaming world by storm. The streaming service, which has gained 28.6 million subscribers since its launch in November, is now predicted to hit 126 million subscribers worldwide by 2025, according to a study by Digital TV Research. At that point, Netflix, which is expected to maintain its lead in the streaming space, will be at approximately 238 million subscribers.
“Much of this initial growth will come from the U.S., principally due to the attractive bundling of Disney+ with ESPN+ and Hulu,” said Simon Murray, an analyst at Digital TV Research. “ESPN+ and Hulu are not yet available outside the U.S., but we still expect strong Disney+ take-up globally.”
Disney+ is slated to be the “biggest SVOD winner over the next five years,” the study states, and it will be third, behind Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Digital TV Research projects the streaming service will hit 40.7 million subscribers by the end of this year.
The upcoming HBO Max is also predicted to have some skin on the game, as the streaming service is expected to have more than 17 million paying subscribers by the end of 2020 and 30 million by 2025 and “if non-payers are included, then this figure could be tripled,”Murray stated.
By 2025, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+ and HBO Max are all expected to have gained 529 million subscribers combined.
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 initial 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+.