Disney Plus is already close to hitting 100 million subscribers
Disney’s streaming service has half of Netflix’s subscriber numbers after just a little over a one year
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
In just a year and a half since it launched,Disney Plusis already on the verge of reaching 100 million subscribers – half of what Netflix gained in over a decade – in a tenth of the time.
According to Disney, its streaming service now has 94.9 million subscribers around the world, a number the company predicted it would hit sometime in 2024.
That figure was announced today as part of Disney’s 2021 Q1 earnings report where the company said Disney Plus had gained around 8 million new subscribers in just the last two months, since its investor day event held in December.
Part of that, most likely, came from the season finale of The Mandalorian and release of WandaVision, as well as the Disney/Pixar hit, Soul. With more big-budget shows and films just on the horizon, Disney has some strong momentum and is closing the gap to Netflix quickly.
Are more subscribers a good thing or a bad thing?
This is a tricky one to answer, but basing it off of popular streaming services the answer is, well, both. More subscribers puts more money into the pockets of the streaming service company, who – more than likely – invests a good portion of that back into content.
More content is, without a doubt, a good thing.
The downside to all this is that, as streaming services get more subscribers, they tend to raise the cost of the service. That’s happened with Netflix repeatedly over the years, and is now happening to Disney Plus – which will soon cost $7.99 per month (£7.99 / AU$11.99) or $79.99 / £79.90 / AU$119.99 per year starting on February 23 in the UK and Australia, and March 26 in the US.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Gaining even more subscribers could tempt Disney into raising the prices again sooner rather than later, especially now that the company has a half-dozen newStar Warsand Disney series in production.
Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar’s sister site, Tom’s Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He’s also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he’s not using if anyone wants it.
How to watch Gangnam B-Side online – stream the South Korean drama from anywhere
‘The stakes are so different’: Endurance filmmaker on finding Ernest Shackleton’s iconic lost ship in a new documentary on Disney Plus
Arcane season 2 finally gave us the huge Caitlyn and Vi moment we’ve been waiting for – and its creators say ‘we couldn’t have done it in season one’
