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New Study Shows Disney Plus Subscribers Gravitate Toward Classic Films Rather Than New Content

Stephanie Sengwe
Stephanie Sengwe is writer based in New York who covers companies in the streaming industry including AT&T, Amazon, Apple, Hulu, Roku, and Netflix . She also contributes daily news coverage on streaming services and devices for The Streamable.
Read full bio ›
Stephanie Sengwe

Though Disney+ leveraged a lot of new originals as it was launching on Nov. 12, it seems as though the streaming service’s biggest hits have been its old hits. According to a new survey by The Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult, approximately 22 percent of Disney+ subscribers across all age groups say they watch classics the most on the platform. The number tops those who watch highly revered content such as Star Wars (21), Pixar (14 percent) and Marvel (15 percent) content.

The study also found that about 25 percent of millennial subscribers (ages 23-38) cite Disney classics as their most viewed category while Gen-Z subscribers (ages 18-22) were most likely to view Disney Channel content such as “Lizzie McGuire” or Pixar titles the most. Star Wars was the most watched category cited by Gen X (39-54) and Boomers (55-79).

The THR/Morning Consult survey also found that Pixar-branded content, like “Toy Story” and “Coco,” is the most “frequently” watched content category. Among all age groups, 38 percent of subscribers said they frequently watched Pixar content, slightly more than Disney classics (37 percent), Star Wars (33 percent), Marvel (32 percent) or Disney+ originals (14 percent).

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+.

Stephanie Sengwe
Stephanie Sengwe is writer based in New York who covers companies in the streaming industry including AT&T, Amazon, Apple, Hulu, Roku, and Netflix . She also contributes daily news coverage on streaming services and devices for The Streamable.
Read full bio ›
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