After years of deliberation as to the shifting tides in entertainment, Disney announced Disney Plus in 2017, which would bring all of the company’s brands such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm under one roof. It launched two years later in November 2019.
Disney first signalled an intention to move into the streaming market in 2016, by acquiring a minority stake in streaming technology developer BAMTech. This became a 75 percent stake the following year. The service is part of Disney’s growing direct-to-consumer business, which also includes ESPN+, Hulu and Hotstar.
Anticipation levels were certainly high for the launch, with Disney Plus the top-trending Google search term in the US in 2019. Within 24 hours the eagerly-awaited new platform had reached 10 million subscribers, though some of these had signed up pre-release.
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Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, featuring Baby Yoda, helped cement platform’s flying start, becoming the world’s most in-demand show for a time. By April 2020, the streaming platform had reached 50 million subscribers.
Disney Plus’s great strength is its content. At launch, the service offered a much smaller content library than rivals like Netflix or Amazon. It is acknowledged, however, that’s Disney’s strengths lie in quality over quantity, with Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel all developing content for the service.
The Star Wars franchise, to which The Mandalorian belongs, was the first major hit for the streaming platform. The entire back catalogue of The Simpsons is also available, and Disney has pulled various TV shows and movies from Netflix and other streaming services.
Marvel’s Wandavision was the second success for the streaming service, drawing in millions of new subscribers. It has had several hits since, although there have been a few stumbles, with some fans accusing it of pushing out too much content without enough quality control.
Disney Plus looks to be the third-pillar for many consumers, alongside Netflix and Amazon Prime. With over 150 million subscribers as of 2022, it has scaled far faster than rival services which launched at similar times, such as HBO Max and Peacock.
We’ve collected data and statistics on Disney Plus. Read on below to find out more.
Disney Plus Key Statistics
- Disney Plus generated $8.4 billion revenue in 2023, an 13% increase year-on-year
- Disney Plus subscribers have stagnated over the past year, peaking at 164 million in November 2022
- The app has been downloaded over 350 million times since launch
Disney Plus Overview
| Title 1 | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 12 November 2019 |
| HQ | Burbank, California |
| People | Robert Iger (CEO, Disney), Michael Paull (President, Disney+), Eric Lieberman (SVP) |
| Business type | Subsidiary |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Industry | Video streaming |
Disney Plus Revenue
Disney Plus has increased its revenue by 13% in 2023, generating over $8 billion for the media conglomerate.
Disney Plus quarterly revenue 2020 to 2024 ($mm)
Disney Plus annual revenue 2020 to 2023 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2.8 |
| 2021 | 5.2 |
| 2022 | 7.4 |
| 2023 | 8.4 |
Sources: Company data, Forbes
Disney Plus Users
Disney Plus had 137.7 million subscribers in the second quarter of 2022, a 37% increase on the same time in the previous year.
Disney Plus quarterly subscribers 2020 to 2024 (mm)
Disney Plus annual subscribers 2020 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | Subscribers (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 33.5 |
| 2021 | 103.6 |
| 2022 | 137.7 |
| 2023 | 157.8 |
Note: Data taken from Disney’s Q2 financial results. Source: Company data
Disney Plus Downloads
Downloads of Disney Plus decreased in 2023 to 103 million, the lowest annual download figures since launch.
Disney Plus annual downloads 2020 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | Downloads (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 110.9 |
| 2021 | 126.8 |
| 2022 | 124.7 |
| 2023 | 103.7 |
Disney Plus vs Netflix: Subscribers
Disney Plus FAQ
How many TV shows are available in Disney Plus?
Disney Plus content library contains 7,500 TV episodes and 500 films (Variety)
How many watched The Mandalorian?
The Mandalorian was the most popular TV show in the US in 2020, with over 14.5 billion minutes watched (BI)
How much did Mulan make on opening weekend?
Mulan brought in $35.5 million on opening weekend when it debuted on Disney Plus
How much will Disney spend on streaming content?
Disney has said it will spend between $14 to $16 billion on streaming content by 2024. It currently spends less than half that amount (Deadline)
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