Disney has confirmed that its new streaming service has close to 30 million subscribers.
Speaking during the Disney Q1 earnings call, CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the company had attracted an impressive 28.6 million subscribers in the first three months of its launch.
Iger said that the new streaming service had “exceeded” Disney’s “greatest expectations,” adding a new revenue stream to the world’s most lucrative entertainment brand.
The figures put Disney+ ahead of HBO Now, and at half of Netflix’s US subscriber count in just three months of operations. In the United States, Netflix had 61 million subscribers.
It’s not possible to compare Disney+ to Apple TV+, as Apple has not offered subscriber numbers since launch.
What’s more, a large percentage of Apple TV+ users have received the service for free, as anyone who purchased an iPhone, iPad, or Mac since September is able to claim a year’s free subscription to Apple’s new streaming service as a “thank you.”
Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research recently suggested Apple TV+ had a low adoption rate, telling The Wall Street Journal that even though up to 30 million people could have access to Apple TV+ content, the vast majority of users are disinterested in what’s there.
Of course, Disney has tried its own promotions to encourage consumers to subscribe.
Indeed, for those who want to subscribe to the platform for more than one year, it’s possible to subscribe from as little as $3.99 per month, though you must commit to two years.
Disney+ is also available for free for Verizon customers.
However, aside from free trials and Verizon members, the vast majority of Disney+ users are paying for the service, and coming in at just $6.99 per month for the whole family, it’s an affordable entertainment package that the vast majority of consumers will want to pay for.
Consumers are willing to pay for Disney+ over rival streaming services because the platform has an established back catalog of content, alongside new original series based off of popular IPs.
Disney has also promised new titles will come to the service every month.
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