Ever since Disney officially announced its streaming service Disney+, it’s been considered the juggernaut service to beat. And it turns out that is indeed the case.
If you’ll recall, in the beginning of April we reported that Disney confirmed it had just over 50 million paid subscribers. Now, a month later, Disney has reported its second quarter earnings report and revealed that, unsurprisingly, Disney+ keeps raking in new subscribers. How many? Well, according to the company, Disney+ now has over 54 million paid subscribers.
That’s as of May 4, and subscriber numbers from across the globe.
As far as Disney’s revenue is concerned related to the streaming service, it went up from $1.1 billion to $4.1 billion. That number is expected to continue to climb for the next several months. But, of course, there are some questions about the long-term subscriber numbers.
Disney+ launched with several deals in place, especially for folks who wanted to sign up for a year’s worth of service up front. Verizon offered 12 months of free service, for instance. So, in several months, Disney+ could see quite a few subscribers drop off. Disney is banking on its extensive back catalog, but also distributing new, original content in the months ahead as well. That includes series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe including Loki, WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
And let’s not forget that the crowded field is only going to get even busier. Quibi just launched, for instance, and Peacock —NBC‘s streaming service– is launching to the general public soon. The other big name in the game is HBO Max, set to launch at the end of this month for $15 per month. And of course, Apple TV+ continues to add new, original content on a semi-regular basis, so we can’t count out Apple’s own effort, too.
Disney is optimistic, though. The company was originally estimating that it would reach somewhere between 60 and 90 million subscribers by the year 2024. And now it’s conceivable that the streaming service will reach 60 million paid subscribers before the end of this year.
If you’re subscribing to Disney+ right now, do you plan on keeping that subscription for the future? Let us know in the comments below.