Where Disney+ Falls in the Streaming Wars: By the Numbers

Streaming services have been on a rapid rise in the past decade, and the newest player in the already crowded competition is Disney+. 

The Mouse House’s new service debuted Tuesday, November 12, and hit 10 million subscribers within its first 24 hours, according to a report by the research firm Apptopia. Fox Business elaborated on the Apptopia report, stating that within its first week, Disney+ racked in over 25.6 million daily viewing sessions and, during the last week of November, the streaming service broke 15 million downloads.

The road ahead looks rosy for the new streaming service, a survey suggests, Disney+ is projected to reach almost 25 million domestic subscribers by 2024, a survey conducted by Digital TV Research and published on Statista this past October reports. However, the unanticipated popularity of the streaming service could drive those numbers higher in the coming months considering that just last week, Apptopia reported that Disney+ has surpassed 22 million mobile device downloads. Google Trends also announced earlier this month that “Disney Plus” was Google’s most searched term of 2019.

Lead Chairman for Disney+, Kevin Mayer, told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year that the company is aiming to reach between 60 and 90 million within the next five years. 

We like the hand we have… We’ve collected some of the most preeminent brands in the entertainment sphere and we’re using them aggressively. We have the timing. We have the right price point.

Kevin Mayer, Disney+ Lead Chairman

Netflix, one of its main competitors, currently has about 60 million subscribers in the US. Amazon Prime has around 50 million subscribers, and Hulu trails behind with about 25 million, according to the Statista report.

Disney+ is noticeably less expensive than Netflix and Hulu, costing $6.99 a month compared to $9 for the basic Netflix plan, $5.99 for the basic Hulu plan with “limited commercials,” and $11.99 for Hulu’s ad-free version. Hulu, however, hopped on the Disney bandwagon: Disney+ is offering a package deal with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month. Disney+ also allows for up to four users to stream at the same time, a feature included with the premium Netflix subscription for $15.99 a month. 

Within its first year, Disney+ is slated to have 7,500 television episodes and 500 films. By 2024, the company projects the streaming service to “encompass over 120 recent movie releases and more than 500 library films; over 10,000 TV episodes; and more than 50 original series and 10 original films and specials.” Franchises within Disney+ include Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, each with their own original films, series, and specials.

Disney has invested billions of dollars into the streaming service, which has accumulated over $5 million through in-app purchases of subscriptions within its first 13 days, according to the data from Apptopia. 

Last month, Netflix announced a partnership with Nickelodeon to parallel Disney+ and its Disney Channel content. However, according to Apptopia Vice President Adam Blacker, “Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Now have not been moved off their trend lines in the U.S,” but, ”…as Disney+ grows in users and markets, that could change.”

Blacker also praised the combination of Disney’s promotion to give all of Verizon’s millions of customers free one-year subscriptions to Disney+ and the service’s general affordability: “Just look at the box office numbers for the Marvel movies and the new Star Wars movies… The amazing price point, which will absolutely be increased at some point, combined with the ability for many people to get the service free through a deal with Verizon is a recipe for mass adoption.”

In a poll taken by Credit Suisse, 34% of Verizon customer-service representatives said they believe that “the free Disney+ offer drove customers to upgrade to unlimited service,” to be eligible for the promotion. 

But just because people are flocking towards Disney+, it does not necessarily mean they will flock away from the other major streaming services. Two Wall Street analysts surveyed Netflix subscribers and found that people are most likely to just subscribe to several streaming services. Their study found that, “while interest in Disney+ has increased… we have not seen an increase in the percentage of Netflix subscribers who expect to cancel Netflix in favor of Disney+.”