Disney+ has already managed to surpass 94.9 million subscribers. The numbers were confirmed by Disney CEO Bob Chapek this week, who spoke during his company’s Q1 2021 earnings call and noted that the streaming service has performed far beyond initial expectations. More specifically, Disney didn’t think it’d be able to hit 90 million subscribers until 2024.
“Disney+ has exceeded even our highest expectations, in just over a year since its launch with 94.9 million subscribers, as of the end of the first fiscal quarter,” confirmed CEO Bob Chapek in a transcript provided by Seeking Alpha. “ESPN+ and Hulu have also performed well, with 12.1 million and 39.4 million subscriptions, respectively.”
“In just the last two months, Disney+ has delivered a string of hit programs, including Marvel’s incredibly original WandaVision, season two of The Mandalorian which ended with the surprise reveal that fan favorite Boba Fett will have his own Disney+ series starting this December; and Pixar’s artistic triumph Soul, which debuted on the service and in theatres on Christmas Day to great acclaim and has since taken in nearly $100 million at the global box office.”
A chart shared by CNBC quickly puts the battle between Netflix and Disney’s streaming services into perspective. While Netflix remains king with 204 million subscribers, Disney is clearly gaining ground quickly with its services, which already amount to 146.4 subscriptions. The company now expects Disney+ to have 230 to 260 million subscribers by 2024.
