2 million subscribers already: Will Disney+ win the streaming wars?

in Disney, Movies, Movies & TV

disney+ launch

Last night, just hours before the launch of Disney+, the entertainment giant’s all-new streaming service was already enjoying success, even before the first film was streamed.

On the evening before the new streaming platform went live, Disney+ had more than 1.9 million subscribers in the United States, with a peak in pre-orders just ahead of the launch that saw almost 100,000 fans signing up for the first time on Sunday.

Disney+
Credit: Disney

Disney executives have been only too happy to give themselves a preemptive pat on the back, predicting that the new platform will have between 60 and 90 million subscribers by 2024 outside of the United States. Chief competing streaming service Netflix currently boasts about 158 million subscribers globally.

The forecast looks highly positive for 5 major streaming platforms from varying parent companies, including Disney+. It’s projected that Disney+, Amazon and Netflix will lead the global video on demand market by the year 2025 with a combined total of 529 million subscribers.

netflix vs. disney
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A report from Digital TV Research projects that “Disney+ will be the biggest winner” by picking up just over 100 million subscribers by 2025, but the news is much more foreboding for Apple TV. Another part of the report states that of the 1.9 million fans who’ve subscribed to Disney+ so far, more than a third of them subscribe to at least one other platform.

Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger is being credited with laying the groundwork for the company’s new streaming service, as he began with low-key testing of a streaming app called “DisneyLife” in England. Shortly thereafter, Iger announced that Disney was imagining (and creating) a major streaming platform.

Bob Iger
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In his memoir, Ride of a Lifetime, Iger describes the process by saying that Disney was “hastening the disruption of its own business.”

As a leader in the entertainment market, Disney knew that streaming was the way of the future, and that to remain competitive, they’d have to throw their proverbial hat in the streaming ring as well. After all, last year alone, there were more than 613 million streaming customers around the globe, and only 556 million cable subscribers, per the Motion Picture Association of America.

At the moment, Amazon Prime Video has a total of 100 million customers, and Hulu has almost 29 million.

Live-action Lady and the Tramp
Credit: Disney

Disney+ enjoyed its launch today and debuted with almost 500 films and 7,500 TV episodes. The newest member of the streaming market also kicked off its roll-out with the premiere of Disney’s live-action version of Lady and the Tramp. The new platform will also feature original series The World According to Jeff Goldblum from National Geographic, as well as original content like Star Wars: The Mandalorian from the brilliant mind of Jon Favreau.

the mandalorian
Credit: Disney

Disney+ is expected to boast a subscriber count of more than 8 million by the time the service is just 7 weeks old.

Are you among the millions who’ve already subscribed to Disney+? Tell us what you’re most excited to watch in the comments section below.

in Disney, Movies, Movies & TV

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