Since its foundation in 1923, the Walt Disney Company has won the hearts of billions.
Most of us share special memories of our favorite characters, whether Mickey Mouse or Buzz and Woody from Toy Story.
One of the main reasons behind Walt Disney Company’s longevity is its ability to recognize and embrace trends.
It is no surprise that it provides a TV subscription service through Disney Plus. But do Disney+ statistics reflect success?
Let’s dive into the stats behind this subscription service.
Interesting Disney+ Statistics 2023
Perhaps one of the most exciting Disney Plus facts is its population penetration – the much-loved service is a favorite in many households:
- Disney+ worldwide counted over 118 million subscribers in 2021.
- By 2024, the service expects to achieve 260 million Disney+ subscribers.
- Disney+ is not yet profitable.
- In Q1 2022, Direct-to-Consumer global revenue reached around $4.7 billion.
- Disney Plus targets families, not just children.
Interestingly enough, Disney Plus only came online in November 2019.
Yet, being part of a renowned multinational corporation sped up its growth.
Additionally, it is one of the few industries that has been able to expand during the pandemic.
So, let’s dive without further diversion into the Disney+ stats that are behind this success story.
General Disney Plus Facts 2023
The Walt Disney Company built its success largely through the creation of broad Disney audience demographics. The same principle applies to Disney+.
1. The service counted over 118 million Disney subscribers worldwide at the end of 2021.
(Statista)
Since its launch in November 2019, Disney+ has grown exponentially. The quarterly updates reflect this rapid growth, from 73.7 million global subscribers in Q4 2020 to 118.1 million in Q4 2021.
At the end of Q1 2022, Disney Plus accounts reached almost 130 million worldwide.
2. 80% of Disney film and TV projects are going to Disney+.
(CNBC)
In December 2021, Disney announced that approximately 80% of its TV and film projects would directly air on Disney+, including Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic content.
The Star Wars spin-off series Mandalorian succeeded in attracting countless subscribers to the platform.
3. Because of strong Disney+ revenue, the company stayed afloat during the pandemic.
(Reuters)
The pandemic severely disrupted Disney’s most significant revenue sources, such as its theme parks and resorts. Travel and attraction restrictions made it impossible to rely on these legacy revenue streams at the pandemic’s peak.
Yet, the newly launched Disney Plus streaming service drove revenue and attracted new users during the pandemic.
4. Customer experience is core to Disney’s success, even online.
(Databricks)
Everybody knows that Disney pays special attention to the customer experience. Park visitors can plan their day through the attraction app. Resort and cruise-goers can enjoy unique and magical moments with the crew.
It makes sense for the Walt Disney Company to treat all Disney customers the same and offer its Disney+ subscribers the same quality of experience. The company uses real-time data analytics and AWS solutions to optimize their online experience.
5. Disney+ plans to spend $33 billion on new content.
(Tech Crunch)
Disney Plus invests heavily in content creation to appeal to a broader audience, with a $33 billion investment dedicated to attracting new subscribers with new content.
The process of content nurturing, sourcing, and creation enables Disney+ to compete against streaming giants like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
Disney Plus Revenue Stats 2023
The revenue-related Disney+ stats show the significant and rapid growth of this relatively new streaming service.
6. The service expects to achieve 260 million Disney Plus subscribers by 2024.
(CNBC)
Disney+ may be new to the streaming world, but the company has been building up momentum through content creation and service packages. As a result, it expects to increase subscribers and reach between 230 to 260 million Disney Plus users by 2024.
This would double the number of subscribers of Q1 2022.
7. The streaming service is not profitable yet.
(Reuters)
Despite the rapid and constant growth, Disney+ is not yet making a profit. As the company intends to invest further into content creation and infrastructure development, it is unlikely Disney Plus will be profitable in the upcoming years.
Nevertheless, the fast-paced growth could bring profitability sooner than expected.
8. According to the Disney revenue breakdown, Disney+ beats expectations.
(CNBC)
Disney+’s progress has been beating revenue expectations for the streaming service. Experts predicted $20.91 billion for the first fiscal quarter of 2022, while Disney announced $21.82 billion of revenue.
Disney Plus subscriptions also roared, beating the expected 125.75 million by over 4 million.
9. Disney+ average revenue per user reached $6.68 per month in Canada and the US.
(CNBC)
The subscription price increased from $5.80 in Canada and the US in 2021 to $6.68 in 2022.
Despite users spending more on their subscriptions, they remain loyal to the streaming platform. Proof that new content pays off!
10. In Q1 2022, Direct-to-Consumer global revenue reached around $4.700 million.
(Statista)
Disney+ makes up the most significant part of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer revenue segment. While the DtC service is the second smallest segment in the Disney revenue breakdown, it grew from $3.5 billion in Q1 2021 to almost $4.7 million in Q1 2022.
Disney Plus Demographics 2023
Who is Disney+’s primary target? A quick review of its statistics paints an accurate image of the main target audience.
11. 45% of all Disney Plus users are under 18.
(The Dis insider)
Disney+ programs appeal primarily to children. However, the desire to develop new content ensures Disney Plus appeals to older audience groups.
12. Approximately 7 in 10 Disney+ viewers are white.
(The Dis insider)
Disney Plus has a more significant percentage of white viewers (69%) than other streaming services (60%). It is currently hard to determine whether the lack of diversity reflects its costs or the platform’s content.
13. The Disney Plus target market is families, not children.
(Reference)
You shouldn’t believe Disney Plus focuses only on children. On the contrary, it prefers to appeal to families. Families are Disney’s largest spenders and sources of revenue. Its vacation and attraction destinations are renowned for their cross-generation activities.
The same principle applies to its streaming portfolio. Disney+’s new content includes films, series, and documentaries not explicitly designed for younger audience groups. By appealing to the family unit as a whole through content diversity, Disney Plus aims to attract more diverse user groups.
Disney Plus Subscriber Stats 2023
Disney+ subscription facts highlight the true impact of the pandemic on this service’s growth.
14. Disney Plus subscribers grew 37% during the pandemic.
(Reuters)
The pandemic has been instrumental in developing streaming services’ popularity. Disney+ developed its subscriber base by 37% between 2021 and 2022.
15. The number of Q1 2022 subscribers to Disney+ topped Netflix by 3.5 million.
(Tech Crunch)
Perhaps, the biggest surprise in the streaming sector has been its pace of growth compared to other, supposedly more popular streaming platforms, like Netflix. At the start of 2022, Disney+ efforts increased its subscribers by 11.8 million, compared to Netflix, which added only 8.3 million.
16. The total number of subscriptions for the whole streaming portfolio is 196.4 million users.
(Tech Crunch)
Disney+ is only one element of the Disney streaming portfolio, including services like ESPN+ and Hulu. Total subscriptions to the Disney streaming portfolio reached 196.4 million with 45.3 million for Hulu, 21.3 million for ESPN+, and 129.8 million for Disney Plus.
Wrap Up
In conclusion, Disney+ statistics reveal valuable insight into its accomplishments. The Disney Plus success draws upon lessons learned in customer experience and target audience demographics from other Disney services.
While Disney+ has yet to create a profit, the service shows promising signs of growth. It has risen to be a substantial competitor of popular streaming platforms and its efforts to develop new content continue to attract new families.
There is no doubt that if Disney Plus can meet the subscribers’ expectations in terms of content diversity and availability, the platform has everything it needs to dominate the market.
