It might be safe to say that people like Disney+.
Today, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that its primary streaming service, Disney+, is very popular. So much so that the service has amassed more than 86 million subscribers since its launch — just a little over a year ago. Not that this is any bit of a surprise, considering this is Disney and the service launched with an impressive back catalog and, of course, The Mandalorian has earned plenty of praise. Still, Chapek said during the announcement that Disney+ has “exceeded our expectations”.
The service had over 60 million subscribers in August of this year.
The better news for Disney is that it’s not even just Disney+ raking in the subscribers. The company also confirmed that Hulu is sitting at 38.8 million subscribers, and ESPN+ is at 11.5 million. All told, Disney’s streaming services are sitting at an impressive 137 million subscribers.
It’s worth noting that, in just a year’s worth of time, Disney+ accomplished what executives at the company were expecting to do by 2024. So, yes, Disney+ appears to be a hit.
And that means the company is going to continue to focus on streaming moving forward, too. Mulan was a successful release for the service, even though it charged an additional $30 for “Premier Access” when it arrived. Disney has also toyed with free releases for some theatrical releases, including Artemis Fowl and soon Disney+ will get the animated Pixar film Soul, too. All this to say it’s worked out in Disney’s favor, as far as subscribers are concerned.
And Chapek has made it clear that the company is doubling down on streaming from here on out. For instance, the next major animated film from the studio, Raya and the Last Dragon, will now be a day-and-day release for both Disney+ and theatrical release. What’s more, the live-action films Cruella and Pinocchio are said to be launching on Disney+ in the future as well.
Marvel still has some major series coming to the service, including WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and many others. Plus, more Star Wars content beyond The Mandalorian is on the way, too, even if Disney isn’t going out of its way to announce anything specific just yet.
In any event, Disney+ is a smash hit for the company, and streaming is only going to get more prevalent.
Are we going to see Disney pull a WB and release its major films on Disney+ as well as theaters? Raya may be the start to something similar, but we will have to wait and see.
Are you a Disney+ subscriber? If so, how do you like the service?