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Disney Plus SMASHES 50 Million Subscriptions In Five Months

Disney Plus proves its chops with 50 million active subscriptions in less than sixth months…


Disney Plus has been a roaring success since its launch just five months ago. Today, Disney confirmed that it now has 50 million subscribers worldwide. To put that figure into context, as of 2019 Q4, Netflix had 167 million subscribers with 60 million in the USA.

But what you have to keep in mind here is that Netflix, as VOD service, has been around for a much longer time than Disney Plus – Netflix has been doing streaming in one form or another since 2007, although it didn’t start properly until 2011. Netflix’s first original content started showing up in 2013 with House of Cards and Orange is The New Black.

Disney Plus Subscription Growth

Another interesting stat about Disney Plus? Disney originally set itself a target to have 60-90 million subscribers by 2024. And yet here we are after just five months with 50 million active users in the US and UK.

Speaking to the BBC, Kevin Mayer said the following: “We’re truly humbled that Disney Plus is resonating with millions around the globe.”

What’s driving Disney Plus’s success? A couple of things: 1) the COVID-19 outbreak and global lock-downs mean there are more people at home than ever; 2) pubs and clubs are shut, so people are spending more time indoors; and 3) Disney has a ton of original content and classic movies and TV shows on its books – from The Simpsons to Marvel films and classic Disney cartoons.

Disney also brought its streaming service to India as well as the UK; to date, India has around 8 million active users of the service. Netflix and Amazon Prime still have more subscribers but both services are much older. Disney’s new streaming service has proven that it has what it takes to not only catch them up but perhaps even overtake them – 50 million in five months is no joke!

“What Disney Plus has achieved in five months took Netflix seven years,” said Chris Fenton, a movie industry analyst. ““Disney Plus possesses all the ammunition needed to surpass Netflix, and it also has the potential bazooka of China. If any American streaming service can gain access to the 1.4 billion people of China, it’s Disney Plus.”

Got Disney Plus? Learn how to unlock more content in your region (like ALL The Mandalorian episodes)… 

Also be sure to check out How To Cancel App Subscriptions On iPhone (iOS 15)!

Richard Goodwin

Richard Goodwin has been working as a tech journalist for over 10 years. He has written for Den of Geek, Fortean Times, IT PRO, PC Pro, ALPHR, and many other technology sites. He is the editor and owner of KnowYourMobile.

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