Disney+ hits 73 million subscribers in its first year

Netflix may be the biggest player in the streaming market, but when Disney+ arrived it was believed that the red brand giant finally had some real competition to contend with. While the likes of Hulu (which Disney owns anyway), HBO Max, and Amazon Prime all offer their own wealth of excellent content, nothing competes with the strength and magnitude of Disney’s franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and recently acquired Fox franchises such as Alien, Avatar, and even The Simpsons.

But have all these power franchises helped the company make a big dent in the competitive streaming market? According to a Q4 earnings call from CEO Bob Chapek, that answer is a resounding yes as he revealed that Disney+ has signed up 73 million active subscribers within its first year alone. And it’s not even officially out in many parts of the world yet.

That is a remarkable achievement for a new streaming service that Disney claims exceeded even its own expectations. For the record, Netflix currently claims to have about 200 million active subscribers around the world so it may still be considerably bigger but Disney has yet to truly tap fully into many of its franchises. Marvel, Star Wars, and other big box office movies have yet to land on the streaming service and you can expect their subscriber base to still grow considerably. Especially when it finally rolls out to other global markets.  

Granted this has been a year where cinemas have been closed and entertainment-starved people have perhaps been more than willing to sign up but the impact the company is already making in the streaming space should not be underestimated. Disney could soon lead this market just like it dominates the global box office.

Last Updated: November 13, 2020