Disney+ is already rocking the streaming industry with incredibly early milestone

by Adrian Diaconescu / Nov 13, 2019, 3:38 PM

Disney+ is already rocking the streaming industry with incredibly early milestone

One full year of hyping after Disney formally threw its hat in the Netflix-dominated video streaming ring, the most highly anticipated new platform of 2019 finally made its commercial debut yesterday, November 12. Today, November 13, the Mouse House is already boasting about the insane subscriber numbers of Disney+, which might explain why it was initially so tricky for so many users to access their family-friendly content.

According to CNBC, which is quoting an official company announcement, no less than 10 million people have signed up for the surprisingly affordable and incredibly extensive VOD service roughly 24 hours after its Tuesday launch. While the platform's free 7-day trial makes it impossible to know how many of those "subscribers" will actually end up paying for the service, the figure remains outstanding, giving Disney the perfect start in a very competitive and increasingly crowded market.

It's obviously not fair to make these comparisons, but Netflix barely added 6.8 million paying subscribers worldwide between July and September this year for a grand total of more than 158 million people, with Hulu, which just so happens to also be owned by Disney, lagging far behind, at around 28 million subscribers as of the end of Q1 2019, up by 3 million compared to the previous quarter.

It's almost hard to imagine just how fast Disney+ will be able to expand its reach when it becomes available around the world. Don't forget, the November 12 launch was a US, Canada, and Netherlands-only thing, which makes the 10 million milestone that much more impressive. Then again, one important thing that may have helped inflate the number somewhat artificially (apart from the aforementioned free trial) is Verizon's killer deal for both new and existing customers.

Of course, Apple TV+ started off with a similarly "unfair" advantage over Netflix earlier this month, as recent iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, and Apple TV buyers are all eligible for a free year of service, and we're not seeing the Cupertino-based tech giant crowing over the platform's achievements... yet.

Clearly, the Disney+ debut can be considered a smash hit, which obviously makes sense given the sheer size and mainstream appeal of its library, as well as the low $6.99 monthly rate, all the premium features and perks included in that price, and the fact you can even share your account with family members and friends... for the time being.

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9 Comments

1. VariableCheapskate

Posts: 196; Member since: May 29, 2019

Either Disney is inflating the numbers or there are a lot of blissfully unaware consumers.

posted on Nov 13, 2019, 4:16 PM 1

2. Rocket

Posts: 703; Member since: Feb 24, 2014

Lets be honest, Disney+ will rule all the streaming services in the future. (including Netflix)

posted on Nov 13, 2019, 4:46 PM 2

3. boriqua2000

Posts: 260; Member since: Mar 11, 2009

Disney + is a joke. Everyone has already seen 90% of the content that they offer and if a new star wars movie comes out, everyone is going to go to the theater to watch it. So what's the point?

posted on Nov 13, 2019, 5:45 PM 1

4. Dr.Phil

Posts: 2486; Member since: Feb 14, 2011

The Mandalorian is a good enough show to make me subscribe. Plus it’s always nice to have a large movie chest on standby for when you’re bored.

posted on Nov 13, 2019, 7:09 PM 3

5. Derekjeter

Posts: 1555; Member since: Oct 27, 2011

Half or more of those are the Verizon customers who are going to get it free for a year. I’m in the best spot anyone can be. Free Apple TV since I bought the iPhone 11 Pro, free Disney since I’m a verizon customer, half price Amazon video at student price and free Netflix for 6 months for being a veteran. Turned off my cable and will only spend on a VPN to offload movies through Yify lol!!